Erewash Borough Council has been working to anticipate and manage a sharp rise in residents trying to get in touch after the delivery of more than 62,000 council tax and business rates letters from 14th March.
High volumes of phone calls can result in delays in speaking to staff and the council has advised residents to access their website and register for a My Erewash account, where information can be found which answers many of the questions that people want to ask.
Visit erewash.gov.uk where residents can set up a My Erewash account. All you need to register is an email address. Once set up you can access the account at any time, view your council tax account and submit queries.
Residents who live in a property in council tax bands A to D are likely to receive a £150 council tax rebate from the Government to offset rising energy costs from April 2022. Customers who have a direct debit up and running will receive the £150 automatically. Direct debit is the most efficient way to pay council tax and can be set up by completing a form on My Erewash. Your property band can be found on your latest council tax bill.
Councillor Wayne Major, Erewash Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, said: “I would urge anyone that doesn’t yet have a My Erewash account to set one up as it makes it easier to find information and answers to questions that people may have about their council tax bill. If you do contact us over the phone, there will almost certainly be delays and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Erewash is the collecting authority for the area, but only 10% of the total council tax bill that residents pay goes to the Borough Council. The rest is for services provided by the other authorities and Erewash has no control over the charges set by these organisations. The council cannot deal with any issues relating to the Council Tax charges for Derbyshire County Council and Adult Social Care, Derbyshire Police, Derbyshire Fire Authority and Parish Councils.
My Erewash customers can view their accounts, submit forms, make requests, make payments, ask questions, provide information, claim Council Tax Support or other discounts and see copies of bills and other notices. A call back request can also be arranged as soon as possible if it is made through My Erewash.
If you are struggling to pay your council tax advice can be found under the council tax section of erewash.gov.uk.