Easier ways to pay council bills
Archived press release
Date Published: 20/07/12
Post office sign
Residents will shortly be able to make payments to Aylesbury Vale District Council at post offices and a number of retail outlets which have the PayPoint system.
From 1 August, all council tax, business rates and housing benefit overpayment bills will include a unique barcode, which allows residents to pay at any post office or local shop displaying the ‘PayPoint’ sign in the window or at the till.
This means there will be almost 70 locations across the Vale and over 34,000 locations across the UK* where residents can pay.
Cash payments can be made at all PayPoint outlets, while at post offices people can pay by cash, cheque or debit card.
Customers identified as paying their council tax bills by cash or cheques will be sent a new barcoded bill to enable them to pay at their local post office or nearest PayPoint outlet.
Already 80 per cent of council tax income is paid by direct debit; these customers will not be affected by the change.
As a result of the new arrangements, the Aylesbury cash office is closing permanently on 1 September. The customer service centre at 66 High Street, Aylesbury, will remain open.
The council will also stop taking cash at its area offices at Buckingham and Winslow from this date. These offices are not closing and they will continue to accept cheques and card payments, as well as deal with customer enquiries.
AVDC is following a number of other councils throughout the UK in modernising the way it accepts payments from the public to ensure it does so in the most efficient and effective way.
By closing the Aylesbury cash office, the council will save more than £50,000 a year and help support the rural post office network.
Councillor Pam Pearce, Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: “The change to the way we receive payments is aimed at providing a service that is more efficient but fair to everyone. The new extended service will give the public a greater choice of where to pay and more flexibility about when to make payments.
“There will be outlets right across Aylesbury Vale, making it more convenient for many customers to make payments locally. The additional council business will help post offices that are important to so many communities and help sustain small businesses, such as local convenience stores and garages.”
More information on council tax payment methods is available on www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/counciltax or by calling 01296 585299. To view a map of the payment outlets use the related content link below or visit: www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/wheretopay.
A list of payment outlets can be found at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/wheretopay or from www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder or www.paypoint.co.uk/paypointlocator
*Circa 12,000 post offices and 22,000 PayPoint outlets