Hyndburn council's Accrington cash office closing

[BERNADETTE]

The point is once again people are going to lose the right to make there own decision! A lot of older people still deal in cash and pay bills that way. Time they left things alone.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by Lilly

You don't appear to have any concept of direct debit.

Yes, it is possible that mistakes could be made with direct debit but it is also possible that you could be mugged of your cash on your way to pay at the offices.....you can't keep looking for problems....do you want the mayor to come round to your house to personally collect the cash from you?

I do feel sorry for the elderly as I did when post offices were recently closed, in a way it's a similar story and I do understand what you've said about people who can't get a current account....although if they can't get a current account they must be hard up so they probably don't pay their council tax anyway.

I fully understand the concept of DD's. (possibly because I worked in accounts department for many years). But I also appreciate why many people choose not to pay bills by this method - not everyone is happy giving another company the right to deduct however much money that company wishes to from their bank account.

I am glad that you feel sorry for the elderly, but it is rather a sweeping statement that if you can't get a current account you must be hard up so probably don't pay council tax anyway. Many banks will only give new current accounts to people who have salary/pension credits of £1000 plus into the account every month. There are many people in this borough who have take home pay/pension of less than £1000 a month who are paying Council Tax.

Also there are lots of people who have wages etc paid into a savings account and would never want a current account.

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

The point is once again people are going to lose the right to make there own decision!

It's happening a lot.....it happened with the post offices and it was pointed out then that the people who would suffer were the hard up and the elderly.

I didn't mean to come accross as uncaring, it's just that I've had direct debits for all bills, not just HBC for 8 years and never had one problem.

I don't know anyone who has had a problem.....well, I didn't until this thread kicked off. It's come as news to me.

[Neil]

Of the 28994 chargeable dwellings for Council Tax -
• 14203 or 49% of residents pay by Direct Debit. Cost per Transaction 9p
• 5171 or 18% of residents pay by payment swipecard Cost per Transaction 51p
• 3386 or 11% of residents pay in person by cash at Accrington Town Hall Cost per
Transaction £2.00
• 884 or 3% of residents pay in person by cheque at Accrington Town Hall Cost per
Transaction. £2.00
• 906 or 3% of residents pay by postal cheque to Accrington Town Hall Cost per
Transaction £2.50

There is a simple solution to all this. If people want to pay at the Town Hall then charge them the extra £2.00 or £2.50 depending on how they pay.

[cashman]

i too have direct debits n had no problem, but i know people who have.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Neil

There is a simple solution to all this. If people want to pay at the Town Hall then charge them the extra £2.00 or £2.50 depending on how they pay.

Would that be every time they went to pay?? Why should they be charged extra for paying in cash?? The world has gone mad, do you not think a lot of old people are struggling enough with all the new things being introduced!!!

[Bonnyboy]

Originally Posted by Neil

There is a simple solution to all this. If people want to pay at the Town Hall then charge them the extra £2.00 or £2.50 depending on how they pay.

That leaves 16% un accounted for. I assume that percentage will be made up from telephone payments, online payments and non- payments…any figures for those Neil. Just curious.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I pay all bills by DD and have never had any problems.

[shillelagh]

Dont get me started on council tax and direct debits and standing orders etc. I had allsorts of hassles when mum died .... in fact im still sorting them out 2 1/2 yrs later. Mind you their council tax bit is now run by capita - and if hyndburn go that route i feel sorry for you all.

Rossendale Council's got rid of their cash office a few years ago. Now you pay at the post office by swipe card, by direct debit, by cheque, or by ringing them up and by credit/debit card or by standing order. I thought Hyndburn was the same i didnt know that they still had a cash office.

[Loz]

I pay my council tax by DD,always have and have never had a problem,it seemed easier to do it that way and means i never forget about it,but i can understand that this isn't an option for everybody and elderly people could easily be confused by it when they are used to paying by cash in person.
I think its a bad idea closing the offices personally,i can't understand them saying hardly anybody uses it because every time i have been in its always packed.

[harwood red]

I pay all my bills Direct debit too and never had a problem but wouldn't suggest that there never can be..

what I don't understand is why people feel this is so bad... most people who use the cash office have complained about the longs queues and mistakes made at this office...!!

The issue regarding wanting to pay in cash still hasn't changed, in fact it is more convenient by using a payment card and pay at your local shop or any other payzone outlet which there are loads of all over the borough.. just make sure you keep the receipts which you would do if you were paying at the town hall!

We (twin valley) in Blackburn are just in the process of advising our tenants that we are phasing this option out to pay rent (don't know whether it will be for council tax though), but there are several ways in which they can pay... and yes it is a money saving exercise on our behalf but has only come to fruition when we felt there were enough options to pay other ways and with discussions with tenants on preference of ways they like to pay.

[BERNADETTE]

Lilly I didn't mean to come accross as uncaring

I know you didn't Lilly just think things are going to far in the direction of no personal contact. Just hope they rethink this decision but very much doubt it

[accyman]

as mentined before, the payment cards are unreliable and the machines that you use them with at the shops are unreliable , some old dear could end up having to walk across town just to use a machine that is working

at least when you go to the town hall and pay cash you know your money is going to be taken and your not going to have to trek across town in the hope that the next shops machine is working

mind you as long as everythings working ok for somone the rest of us that arnt so lucky can go screw ourselves i suppose

cash should come above any other kind of payment period ,if cash is such a bad thing why not do away with it all together and just have a chip slapped in our forheads that scans everytime we buy somthing

funny how the councils bailifs accept cash which are very quickly set upon you should you not have enough money in your account when the council take out your payments early

HBC are the most patheticly organised set of idiots i have ever had the displeasure of dealing with , they cause problems for people throgh their own stupidity then cover it up with threats of bailifs when it is their miscalculations or loss of payment details that is to blame and they sure dont like changing their minds without a good argument

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Lilly

...although if they can't get a current account they must be hard up so they probably don't pay their council tax anyway.

I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Hyndburn who are 'hard up', yet still manage to scrape the money together to pay this, and other bills.

[accyman]

Originally Posted by garinda

I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Hyndburn who are 'hard up', yet still manage to scrape the money together to pay this, and other bills.

well said

i find the snotty attitude of those who everything is fine for pretty pathetic to say the least and they should remeber that even though some people can barely afford to pay their poll tax even when on benefits you still have a considerable percentage of your money to pay to HBC and the last thing people need is for been able to pay it been made even more difficult

sod you jack im ok springs to mind