Error triggers Council Tax payments to be taken early from hundreds of residents across Bourne and Stamford
Local authority chiefs have apologised after an error saw Council Tax payments taken early from hundreds of residents in the Bourne and Stamford area.
A processing error has been blamed by South Kesteven District Council for the August Council Tax payments being called early by direct debit from the accounts of many residents in the district, which includes Bourne, the Deepings and Stamford.
And residents left facing financial difficulties as a result of the error have been told they can secure a refund.
The August payments were meant to have been taken by direct debt on August 3 but were taken six days early.
Across South Kesteven, 36,079 direct debit payments were due on August 3.
In total, the district has 68,327 households paying Council Tax with 52,871 of those paying by direct debit.
Independent Councillor Phil Dilks, one of the representatives for the Deeping St James ward, said: “We will want to learn lessons from this.
"So far, I have not received any complaints from residents.”
A council spokesperson said: “This was a one-off processing error and South Kesteven District Council continues to make every effort to serve residents in a professional, accurate manner.
"The Council has apologised for this error and put steps in place to ensure no resident is financially affected by it."
The council has also stated: “For any customers experiencing financial difficulties as a result of this error, a Direct Debit Indemnity scheme is in place to secure a refund through your bank.
"This is the fastest way to restore money to the customers account.
“Details of the scheme are available at www.directdebit.co.uk/help/how-to-claim
“Anyone who needs help making a claim can contact the council directly and officers will be available to help them through the process.
"Customers not adversely affected can be reassured that no further Council Tax payment for August will be taken.”
The Direct Debit Indemnity is triggered by the Direct Debit Guarantee and states: “If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.”