Somerset Council has been forced to spend an extra £220,000 sending out council tax bills by first class post after the Government delayed confirming the authority's financial settlement for the upcoming year.
'This is the second year where the final local government financial settlement has been delayed and we’ve had to reschedule our budget setting meetings. This means we will need to send out council tax letters by first class post to ensure they arrive with residents on time to meet legal requirements,' according to council leader Bill Revans.
'This is not about blame, but it does highlight an opportunity to save public money if we could work together more closely,' he added.
Local Government Minister Alison McGovern recently wrote to the authority raising ‘significant concerns’ about its financial position — though the Government has since signed off on a £30m emergency support package.
