Can I suggest readers look at the articles on council tax bills again and in the meantime consider the following?

The flu epidemic had a big impact on the whole department with more than 150 person days being lost during November, December and January.

The second factor was not an inadequate computer system but the introduction of a new computer system. This caused a slowing in the processing of claims for council tax benefit as staff were being trained to use the new system.

The people who were sent wrong bills were those whose claims were being reviewed, and on March 1, the Revenues & Benefits Service Group received a report telling them that at the time of writing the report, there were 51 outstanding review claims.

The staff have worked very hard to remedy the situation with reviewed claims, which when you consider the numbers of claims reviewed each year, and the difficult period they have been going through, should be congratulated on the work they have done, not pilloried.

Cllr E Bush

Chairman Revenues &

Benefits Service Group

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.