Man fined £700 after falling just £2 short on council tax

John Pritchard tried to fix the error but his local council instead cancelled his payment plan (John Pritchard / SWNS)

A man has been fined over £700 after accidently underpaying his council tax by just £2.

When John Pritchard tried to pay the extra money Bromley Council cancelled his payment plan, preventing him from solving the issue.

Mr Pritchard, 59, of Orpington, Bromley, received a letter summoning him to Bromley Magistrates Court on 13 September.

Along with the date of his hearing, the letter outlined that he had to pay a £719.50 fine.

The bill was for £618 with additional court costs of £101.50.

After he received the letter, Mr Pritchard set out to find where the underpayment had come from.

Mr Pritchard said: “I looked at an old council bill when I went to pay my bill, and as it was an old one it was a different amount, so I ended up being £2 short.”

He said: “I have tried to ring the council about 10 times but I haven’t been able to get through.

“I have also emailed them but have been sent an automated response saying they will get back to me in 10 days, but by then it will be too late as the hearing is on 4 October.

“It is so frustrating. With the cost of living crisis I don’t know why they are doing this, surely they have more important things to do.”

As a carer for his partner, who is recovering from stage four bowel cancer, he can only work eight hours a week at his supermarket job.

And this is not the first time Mr Pritchard has suffered financial misfortune. Due to an error made by his employer, his carer’s allowance has been slashed by £20 a week.

He said: “When I started my job my bank details were put in wrong, so I couldn’t get my first week of pay.

“I ended up getting paid for two weeks the week after, but this went over my carer’s allowance limit.

“I now have to pay back around £250 in £20 weekly installments.

“I only take home £82 a week, so this is really hard.

“I have most of the time been unable to pay the council tax on time due to my financial situation, but I have always paid it.”

He added: “I just don’t understand why I can’t just pay the extra £2.”

Bromley Council has been contacted but is yet to comment.

SWNS