[C]OPELAND Council has this week been able to issue delayed Council Tax and Business Rates bills to customers.
Due to the cyber attack the council suffered in August, it had not been able to generate updated bills for residents and businesses. These bills have now been issued this week, along with a covering letter apologising for and explaining the delay, and payment advice for customers.
Customers who received their bill in April 2017 and paid it in full – or pay it monthly – are unaffected. Those who have received a delayed bill this week are those whose circumstances have changed since August 2017, ie have moved house or changed their Direct Debit details, that the council’s system was unable to process.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “The cyber attack was devastating for this council and one of the impacts it had was that we could not generate new council tax bills.
“At the point of a customer notifying us of a change in circumstances, we explained that there would be a delay in sending a bill to them, and offered alternative ongoing methods of payment rather than a large bill arriving on their doorsteps once our system was re-activated.
“Throughout the delay, we have also written to affected customers to notify them, and again, offer alternative ongoing methods of payment to avoid a large bill arriving retrospectively.
“We appreciate however that some residents will have been surprised to have received a large bill this week and may be unable to make the full payment, and we are urging people to contact us on 01946 598300 to discuss a suitable payment arrangement.”
