Daughter angry that council sent bill for a penny to her mother six months after she died

A daughter has spoken of her anger and hurt after being sent a 1p council tax bill for her deceased mother – more than six months after she died. Carol Davies was stunned when she opened the letter from Havant Borough Council in Hampshire, which was addressed to her mother Patricia Davies. The letter demanded payment of 1p, to be paid in cash.

Seventy-year-old Patricia, of West Leigh, died in June last year after several weeks in hospital following a battle with cancer. Carol said she had cancelled the council tax bill after her mother died. She also informed the council when her mother was in hospital that she was not living there any more. As executor to her mother’s estate, she asked for any letters to be forwarded on to her address.
Carol, from Hayling Island, said: "It was a total shock. Why have they even bothered to send it? I was quite offended by it considering the communication there was between us and the council. It’s just ridiculous. The postage would have cost more than I had to pay them." Carol phoned the council’s customer services department, where the operator apologized and said the 1p did not need to be paid.
Carol added: "The council is wasting time sending a piece of paper and wasting money to pay for things like this." Mike Ball, service manager for revenue and benefits at Havant Borough Council, said: "The council tax bill was sent in error and I would like to give my sincere apologies for any distress this may have caused Mrs Davies. We have spoken with Mrs Davies and also sent her a letter of apology. We will ensure the details are updated to prevent this happening again."