A former casino manager says costs for summoning people to court for non-payment of council tax are an attack on the most vulnerable people in the borough.

 

Peter Bottrill, 66, of Corporation Street, Barnsley, got £20 behind on his council tax in August last year but then received a summons with court costs of £52.

 

He claims this is not a realistic reflection of court costs and is raising the matter with the Trades Union Congress (TUC). He has also complained to the Audit Commission, the local government ombudsman and MP Dan Jarvis - but is still awaiting a result.

 

Barnsley Council has sent Mr Bottrill a breakdown of how costs are reached and says the matter is now closed. But Mr Bottrill, who has suffered a stroke and has diabetes, is not satisfied.

 

He said: "These charges are a way of getting at the most vulnerable. I understand 5,000 summons to court have gone out - that makes £260,000 to be collected in costs.

 

"I also question the description of 'costs' when the figure they've reached is based on estimates. For example, they can only estimate how many summons they'll need to issue."

 

He added: "People receiving these summons don't usually question it - they just accept that its costs from the court - when it's just a way of making money."

 

Mr Bottrill is among hundreds of people in Barnsley who have been summoned for non payment of council tax.

 

Last week, 200 people affected waited in a queue outside Barnsley Magistrates' Court, where protesters chanted and waved placards.