Information on Loughborough

Council Tax Change in Loughborough

Posted on 08/12/08
P. Klein

Charnwood Borough Council is to join forces with Allpay, which will enable barcoded bills to be paid at any Post Office or PayPoint not only in Loughborough or Charnwood but anywhere across the UK. This will include over 60 additional places in and arround Loughborough and the rest of the Borough where customers can pay their Council bills.

Charnwood Borough Council has announced plans to improve its customer payment services starting April 2009. Barcodes will be placed on bills such as Council Tax, Business Rates and other council invoices which will allow them to be paid more locally and at times that are more convenient.

Cllr. David Snartt, Lead Member for Customer Services and Conservative Councillor for Forest Bradgate, said: ?Cash payments can be made for free at any of these locations and the Post Offices will also accept payments by cheque or debit card for free as well. These outlets will often be more accessible and closer to home than the Council offices in central Loughborough. Many will also be open outside of traditional office hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, and so can offer customers greater freedom of when as well as where to pay.

?Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing tenants have been able to use Allpay payment cards to pay their rent since July 2006. This has proved to be a successful and welcome way to pay. Allpay has also been welcomed by residents in other Boroughs who have similarly converted to this new method of payment.?

It is anticipated that the new payment system will be in place in Spring of 2009 and further details will be available nearer the time. Once it is fully operational the cash desk at the Council?s

Southfields offices in Loughborough will close and cash payments will no longer be accepted there. Payments at the Council?s Cash Office have declined in recent years, falling by over 35% (or 38,000 transactions) since 2005/6.