Somerset Council Temporarily Halts Online and Phone Payments for System Upgrade

Somerset Council will suspend online and phone payment options for a nine-day period as it transitions to an updated 24-hour payment system. The existing system is scheduled to cease operation on Tuesday, November 26, with the new service becoming active on Thursday, December 5. Individuals requiring to settle payments for services such as council tax, housing rent, or parking fines are advised to utilize alternative payment channels during this time. Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, the council’s lead member for communities, stated: “Moving to one modern payment system means that customers can pay at a time convenient to them.” Ms Smith-Roberts further commented, “Our customer service team take more than 30,000 payments a year, and it’s important that we have a service that meets the needs of residents and the council.” She also indicated that the forthcoming system would enable some of the “most important and frequent payments” to be processed at any hour, eliminating the need to wait on the phone for staff assistance. Upon the deactivation of the current phone and online payment services on November 26, individuals will be required to use alternative payment methods. Payments for invoices, bus gate penalties, or parking fines are permissible via bank transfer, provided customers possess a valid reference number. Council tax, housing rents, and business rates can be settled at a Post Office or a Pay Point location. Once the new system becomes operational, callers making payments will no longer experience waiting in a queue and will be able to input their payment information using their phone keypad. For updates, follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.