KENNY WELCOMES ABILITY TO PAY HOUSEHOLD CHARGE AT LOCAL AREA OFFICES

Posted on March 28, 2012 2:39 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin North East TD Seán Kenny today welcomed the announcement that applications to pay the Household Charge will be accepted at Local Area Offices.

"I would be the first to admit that the Household Charge has been badly handled; poorly communicated and the method of payment not user friendly. The information leaflets only came to homes this week, well after St Patrick's Day, but better late than never. Payment can now be paid online, by Post or in local authority offices.

"The ability to pay the charge in Local Authority Offices is a new development and I welcome it. Cash payments in Dublin City Council are accepted at the Customer Services Centre, Civic Offices from 9.00am to 5.00pm as well as at Local Area Offices throughout the city. These payments are receipted but not registered. Queries around completion of the application form on issues such as PPS Number, Water Supply, Drainage Supply will be dealt with by Area staff. Other issues will be referred to the LGMA Bureau (Ph: 1890-357357 or 01-2224000). When the applicant is satisfied that the form has been completed to their satisfaction, the form should be placed in an envelope by the applicant and inserted into a post box held for household charge applications. The applicant will be issued with a note acknowledging that an envelope has been left for sending to the LGMA bureau.

"Although the Household Charge was introduced in 2012 as part of the EU/IMF Programme, I believe it is one of the more positive aspects of the programme. Support for and payment of the Household Charge is vital if we are to have strong local government and good local services across our communities. Important services that we sometimes take for granted like our fire stations, libraries, street lighting, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, street cleaning and maintenance of our local roads are all reliant on funding from the Household Charge."