31 October 2007
Council tax payments by cheque will now be handled locally by Eastbourne Council in Grove Road – instead of being posted to Oxford.
In April, the council contracted out this service, hoping to reduce costs. But following a review, it will be brought back in-house – at no extra cost to local residents.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet spokesperson for Finance, Councillor Neil Stanley said, “The new arrangement got off to a bad start, with many cheques being lost. Since then, postal strikes have added to the difficulties. During the election time, we listened to the concerns of local residents. When I was given responsibility for finance, I asked for a review of the service. We have since made significant improvements to our organisation and can now process the cheques more efficiently than when they were outsourced.
We are sorry that some customers have experienced significant delays in payments reaching their accounts. Now the service is being brought back to our offices in Grove Road payments should not be delayed.”
There are alternative methods of paying money to the council, however if you still want to pay by cheque, you should send your payment, in a stamped addressed envelope to: Eastbourne Borough Council, 1 Grove Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4TW.
Cheques should be made payable to “Eastbourne Borough Council” and be crossed “A/C Payee Only”. You must ensure that your Council Tax or Business Rates Account number is clearly printed on the back of your cheque, otherwise it may not be possible to allocate your payment to your personal account in a timely manner.
There are other ways to pay your bill, such as by direct debit, by credit or debit card through the Internet or by our automated telephone line or at a post office.
