Councillors get council tax reminders

Four Royal Borough councillors needed two or more official reminder letters after falling behind with their council tax, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Along with a fifth councillor, who needed one strongly-worded reminder, they fell behind in the payment of £2,100 to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) council in the 2010/11 financial year.

Some councillors have hit back by saying they are so busy it can slip their minds while another blasted them for not setting an example.

Four of the councillors were Conservative and one Independent – although they have not been named.

Cllr Cynthia Endacott (Ind, Clewer North) said: “I am surprised to hear that any councillor did not pay after getting one reminder. We are supposed to set an example to the public.”

Andrew Brooker, the council’s head of finance, said he would advise people to pay their council tax by standing order – something which 70 per cent of Royal Borough taxpayers already do.

If councillors fail to pay their tax beyond a certain point, they would be automatically excluded from debates. This is something which has not happened in the Royal Borough.

See the full story in today's Windsor Express.