News and press releases
Switching Council Tax To Direct Debit Pays Off For Christine
Press release
A simple decision to pay her Council Tax by direct debit has won Christine Callaghan £500 in a competition to encourage more South Tynesiders to switch to direct debit payments.
Lucky Christine of Grosvenor Road, South Shields was one of 1,234 residents who responded to a new marketing initiative by South Tyneside Council to get more people to switch to the more cost-effective method of paying Council Tax by direct debit.
After reading the new A- Z Guide to Council Services and Council Tax she decided to complete the direct debit form sent with her Council Tax bill and was entered into a free prize draw to win the £500.
A delighted Christine said: "I've never won anything in my life so I just couldn't believe it when the letter came from the Council saying I'd won £500. I was so taken aback I had to read it three times before it finally sank in! Paying by direct debit is very convenient and makes it a lot easier to budget for household bills."
Congratulating Christine on her good fortune, Councillor John Wood the Council's Lead Member for Resources said: "It's always a pleasure to see someone enjoying a bit of good luck. Many people say you get nothing for nothing in this world but Christine's proved them wrong - she just filled in a form and lady luck smiled on her. I'm sure Christine will enjoy spending her windfall."
Councillor Wood added: "The £500 that the Council has invested in this competition has produced real savings. We are committed to improving value for money for all our services including how we collect the Council Tax."
Direct debit card payments have increased tenfold in the past two years. In April this year over 2,500 more people paid their bills by this quick and easy method. This is a significant uptake and the Council will continue to encourage more people to make use of the most safe and secure methods suitable to their needs and circumstances.
The campaign resulted in an increase of 2.4 per cent in the total number of households paying by direct debit, which means that now more than 52 per cent of Council Tax payers use direct debit. Apart from the convenience, it is also by far the cheapest method of payment at only 4p per transaction, compared with over £1 for a cash transaction.
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