Thousands face city poll tax debts blitz

Letters demanding immediate payment have been sent out by Scott & Company Sheriff Officers operating on behalf of the city council.

The council’s tax arrears department has been flooded with calls from worried residents facing bills running into thousands of pounds.

Earlier this week, the local authority denied there was a fresh drive to track down defaulters, but a spokesman yesterday admitted 3500 letters had been issued to residents who allegedly failed to pay the controversial tax.

However, some of those affected said they paid the community charge and claimed there had been a mistake.

One resident, a 33-year-old from Clermiston, who asked to remain anonymous, has been hit with a bill for 1000 from between 1989 and 1992.

"I did owe about 50 in poll tax arrears back in 1991 when I was 18 and living with my parents," she said.

"I got a letter from Scott & Company asking for the money. My father paid that amount off and I paid my poll tax from then on. I haven’t got the papers from that time to prove I paid it. I spoke to someone in the council’s revenue and benefits department and they said they had been inundated with complaints."

The letters were sent out last Wednesday with a warning that payment must be made within seven days. Failure to pay would result in a damaged credit rating while those owing more than 1500 were threatened with bankruptcy.

Another resident from Liberton was sent a demand for 600 from 1990-92. She said: "I phoned the council last week to try and find my payment details but they said they were too busy and asked me to call back on Tuesday. When I did they said their computers were down and they couldn’t help."

A spokeswoman for Scott & Company said the issuing of 3500 demands on the same day was part of the "normal recovery process".

"The times letters are sent out depends on the status of the case," she added. "There are no fixed dates. The council is committed to collecting all arrears and this is part of that process." A council spokeswoman said: "There are regular cycles when unpaid debt is pursued. The bulk of these demands had been handed over to Scott & Company up to ten years ago. If anyone is concerned about a letter they have received then they should get in touch with the council."

The council’s four-man poll tax recovery team has had to be bolstered with an additional three staff members to cope with the amount of calls they are receiving.

The spokeswoman added: "Extra staff were called in because of this focus on poll tax arrears. Obviously with 3500 letters being sent out, some people will be calling to ask about it."

Ian Brown, of Citizen’s Advice Scotland, said: "We’ve had clients coming in after receiving these letters. Some have admitted they didn’t pay it and thought it was written off. But others have said they did pay it and didn’t know why they had been sent one.

"The problem for many people may be that they have not kept the paperwork. Not many people keep bank statements for 12 years."

The Haston family from Portobello were among those left stunned when they received a poll tax bill for 2200.

Irene Haston, 62, of Regent Street, and her husband Harry, 72, were sent a demand for 817 each from the years 1990 to 1992. Their daughter allegedly owed 557.

The poll tax was introduced in Scotland in 1989 by then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher before it came into force throughout Britain a year later. It was scrapped in 1993.