Council billed man 1p for his late mother’s council tax

A ‘penny-pinching’ council billed a man for just 1p after his mother died.

David Egerton, 69, says he was stunned to get the council tax bill through his letterbox.

He criticised Isle of Wight Council for spending more than the value of the bill in delivery costs.

His mum Molly died aged 93 in July but had not lived in her Newport home on the island since February as she spent her final months in a care home.

Isle of Wight Council apologised for the ‘regrettable’ incident and claimed as a result of its calculations a ‘small amount’ was left owed.

Mr Egerton, from Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, said: ‘I thought they couldn’t be serious.

‘It is laughable, they are literally penny pinching. They have tried to get the last penny out of her.

‘It must have cost them ten times the amount to send the letter to me.

‘It smacks of Scrooge being in charge. I really hope they get to meet their three spirits soon.’

An Isle of Wight Council spokesman said the payment is not being pursued.

The spokesman said: ‘We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and apologise that this situation has arisen.

‘When closing an account, sometimes, due to the calculations, regrettably it can result in small amounts being left owing.

‘We would not pursue payment for such a small amount.

‘It would be our normal practice for the council tax bill to show that this is for information only, together with an explanation that the council is legally obliged to send a bill even for small amounts.

‘It is with regret this did not happen on this occasion and we are very sorry for any distress this may have caused.’