Struggling with paying your Council Tax? Help is available

Plymouth City Council is reminding residents struggling to pay their Council Tax bill there is a dedicated and skilled team ready to help them.

People who have fallen behind with payments and are worried because they are unable to bring their account up to date should contact the Council before additional charges get applied to their accounts.

Staff in the Revenues and Benefits department will be able to explore the various payment options available and help identify the option that is best for each customer.

Payment options include extending existing instalments so that payments are lower and are paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Setting up direct debit payments could also be option to take the worry out of remembering to pay a bill.

Residents who have not paid their April Council Tax instalment will shortly receive a summons letter explaining that failure to pay will result in charges being applied to their accounts. These charges will be removed for all accounts that paid in full by the date stated on the letter.

If the account cannot be paid in full it is still important to make payment arrangements as this may help avoid paying any extra costs in the future.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance said: “We have had to bring in changes to the benefit system this year as a result of Government cuts. This was not our decision and we are trying really hard to help people as much as we possibly can.

We have various plans in place to provide support but we need to rely on our residents to let us know they need help, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Please come forward and discuss your options with us.”

Plymouth City Council also has a hardship fund set up for those in extreme financial difficulty.

Residents can contact the Council by calling 01752 668000. More information about how to pay, and the changes to Council Tax from April 2013 can be found on the Council’s website at www.plymouth.gov.uk/welfarereform.