Ratton Post Office anger at Borough Council

11.35.46am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Apr 2007

Stephen Lloyd with Norman Russell at the Ratton Post Office

Norman Russell, owner of the popular Post Office on Framfield Way in the Rodmill Estate, has criticised Eastbourne Borough Council for its "aggressive" attempts to persuade people to pay their council tax by direct debit.

He said: "It is perfectly reasonable for the council to prefer local residents to pay by direct debit. However, a recent letter that was sent out to the public who in the past had chosen to pay by other means, confused a number of my elderly customers. One of them came into our Post Office to tell me that she had been so anxious she went into the Town Hall to talk with staff only to find, in her view, that she was being coerced into paying by direct debit. If true such aggressive tactics are completely wrong. This is a free country and people should be given the opportunity to choose how they want to pay. Not be forced into it by a big brother council."

Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner, Stephen Lloyd, added: "Mr Russell contacted me asking for my help. After listening to what he had to say I found it extraordinary that whilst we all seem to be agreed that a local Post Office plays a vital role in the community, the powers that be in reality seem to be intent to do all they can to close them. First we have this government shutting over 4,000 Post Offices across the UK and the previous government not doing much better with the closure of 3,000. Now we appear to have our own local council doing all it can to shift people on to direct debit council tax payments. Mr Russell processes around 100 council tax payments a month, an important part of the Post Office service and many of these are for elderly residents who simply do not feel happy about using the direct debit system. If my regular post bag is anything to go by, this view is shared by many other people across Eastbourne. I will be writing to the director of finance at the council to seek reassurance that no undue pressure is being applied to the public."