Business

Rates delay letters cost LPS over £40,000

Letters sent out last week by the Land and Property Service informing of delay in rate bills have cost more than £40,000
Letters sent out last week by the Land and Property Service informing of delay in rate bills have cost more than £40,000 Letters sent out last week by the Land and Property Service informing of delay in rate bills have cost more than £40,000

Letters sent to ratepayers informing them their annual bill has been delayed have cost more than £40,000 it has emerged.

Over 580,000 letters were sent out last week by the Land and Property Services following Stormont's failure to agree a budget and set the regional rate for 2017/2018. The district rate has already been set by local councils.

Under normal circumstances LPS would have already sent out rate bills, but due to the unprecedented circumstances it issued letters with advice and further information for ratepayers.

The Department of Finance has confirmed these letters cost over £40,000, not including postage.

"The approximate cost for stationery, data handling and printing is £43,582 for the issue of 581,102 letters," a spokesperson said.

"Land and Property Services is not currently in a position to provide a cost for postage until the mailing has been completed."

LPS is putting plans in place to allow bills to issue in May, giving ratepayers the choice of making payment by the usual 10 instalments and avail of early payment discount as appropriate.

In the absence of a Budget Act, the permanent secretary of the Department of Finance David Sterling is currently in control of public finances in the interim period after Section 59 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 was invoked on April 1.