People living in Allerdale are being reminded that the borough council is no longer accepting any payments by cheque.
A general shift towards automated or online banking saw only six per cent of people still using cheques to pay Allerdale when it stopped taking them from the start of April this year.
Each cheque had been costing the authority £10 to process and four out of five people in the borough are now paying their council tax by direct debit, which Allerdale recommends.
Cllr Jim Lister, Allerdale’s executive member for finance and legal, said: “The decision to stop accepting cheques will bring financial savings for the council which can be used to protect vital services across the borough and keep our portion of council tax as low as possible.”
The ban on cheques applies to those sent through the post or presented in person as the council’s head office in Workington or at area offices including the one in Keswick. All are currently closed to the public to protect residents and staff from coronavirus.
Residents still wanting to use cheques can take their council tax bill and payment to a post office. Alternatively, cash payments can be made at PayPoint outlets located in many newsagents, supermarkets and convenience shops across the borough. Payments can also be made by debit or credit card via Allerdale’s website or its automated telephone payments line – 0303 123 1702.
The number of customers who had chosen to pay for services or their council tax bill by cheque had been in decline for several years, with a 59 per cent drop since 2011.
