Council payment systems out of action in Somerset
The 24-hour payment system will be upgraded this week
Somerset Council's phone and online payment systems are out of action from today (26 November) - until Wednesday 4th December.
The current system will be turned off for nine days whilst it switches to a new 24 hour payment service.
Local residents who need to pay for council services like housing rent, parking fines and council tax are being advised to use alternative methods.
Customers can continue to pay in the following ways:
- Bus gates and parking penalties by bank transfer
- Invoices by bank transfer
- Council Tax, housing and garage rents, Business Rates at the Post Office or a Pay Point. Setting up a Direct Debit is recommended to make future payment easy
Though the council says customers will need to use a valid reference number to make the payment.
Whether they call or go online, people will be automatically transferred to the new systems from Thursday 5 December.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Lead Member for Communities, Housing and Culture, said:
"Our customer service team take more than 30,000 payments a year and it’s important that we have a service that meets the needs of residents and the council.
"The new improved payment system means people will be able to make some of the most important and frequent payments, 24/7 throughout the year rather than having to wait on the phone for a member of staff.
"Moving to one modern payment system means that customers can pay at a time convenient to them."