Thousands of Brits charged council tax twice this month in huge blunder

30 April 2024 , 11:04

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Those affected will receive a full refund for the overpaid amount (Image: Getty Images)

Thousands of Brits have paid their monthly council tax bill twice this month due to a "systems error".

West Northamptonshire Council confirmed that around 15,558 accounts were affected by the error, which equates to around 8% of its 184,683 council tax payers. In its announcement, the authority said an "automated error" in the system hosted by its bank-to-bank transfer supplier BACS had caused the council tax payment to be taken twice for those paying on Monday, April 29.

The council was made aware of the issue on Friday and said it took "immediate action" although it could not prevent the payment being taken. A refund has been issued by West Northamptonshire Council to all affected bank accounts, so residents whose payments were taken twice do not need to do anything except await the credit. The council advised residents to check whether they have been affected by the issue and that the refund should be paid by the end of the day yesterday.

The council explained that residents affected should see three entries going through their accounts. Two entries taking the council tax payment and one entry giving the refund. This system would mean only the one correct payment will be paid overall. The council has asked residents to be patient as it resolves the issue. The council also shared a post on X to inform residents in the area of the issue and asked those affected to visit their website for more information. If you have not received your refund, you should contact West Northamptonshire Council on 0300 126 7000 - their offices are open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.

In February, West Northamptonshire Council approved a 4.99% council tax hike, meaning the average annual band D bill rose by £84.52 or £1.63 per week for 2024-25. This takes the average council tax bill for those in a Band D property to £1,778.25 a year. This equates to a monthly payment of £148.18 if you pay over 12 months or £177.82 if you pay over 10 months.

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Martin Henry, the Conservative-controlled council's executive director for finance, said: "We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience and distress this error may have caused residents. He said: "Whilst our supplier's software system automatically duplicated payment files which was beyond our control, we've acted quickly to arrange for refunds to be made into those affected bank accounts."

Ruby Flanagan