Report released and changes implemented by Wealden council

It was over a direct debit issue

Following direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates being taken early over the Christmas period, Wealden District Council has released the findings of an investigation report by its internal auditors into what went wrong.

The council has today also implemented recommendations made by the report of new measures that will ensure this can never happen again. This includes oversight by senior officers, extra checks, and new procedure rules. The risk of not administering direct debits correctly and on scheduled dates has also been added to the council’s risk register.

Direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates were taken from bank accounts on 27 December 2024, rather than on 2 January 2025. The council apologised for this mistake and notified all banks on 24 December, when it first became aware of the issue and that it was unable to prevent the direct debits from being taken.

Anyone who was affected by the issue and has not yet been contacted can email localtax@wealden.gov.uk or call 01323 443 385.

The internal auditor’s investigation report concludes that the error occurred due to human error, and that new controls were needed to prevent the error or reverse it in time. This includes having two people involved in the process of scheduling direct debit payments, a practice which had stopped for unknown reasons.

The investigation report – to be discussed at the council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Monday 13 January – is the first in a series of reports requested by the Wealden District Council Cabinet to understand what went wrong, and what can be done to improve things in the future. The Cabinet has also requested an independent review into the communication of this error to residents, councillors, and others.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Community, Culture and Communications and leader of the council said, “I want to repeat my apology for the stress and inconvenience this error may have caused to residents over the Christmas period. We are just so sorry this happened, and we are today implementing the necessary changes to ensure this never happens again.

“We took action by asking for this investigation, so that we could quickly implement its recommendations. We also know that we have more to do, such as effectively communicating with residents about these issues in the future. We do not have all the answers as to what went wrong, and so we are asking a third party to review this and recommend how we can improve.”

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits, and Revenues said, “I know that many residents and businesses were deeply let down at Christmas, and I am truly sorry for this.

“I have spoken to many friends, family, and colleagues affected by this human error. They appreciate that mistakes can be made, but they also insist that systems and communication must be better. We agree, and we are committed to ensuring this by delivering improvements today and into the future.

“We are also committed to making things right for those who were affected. So far, very few people have asked us to refund any charges they have incurred, so if you find you have received any additional charges, please do email localtax@wealden.gov.uk with the subject ‘DD Error’ and we will prioritise your case.”