External report into communications of Direct Debit issue released

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.

In addition to recognising the stress and inconvenience for some residents, the council committed to refund any additional bank charges incurred. After the Christmas break five residents claimed for reimbursement of bank charges. Of those four of the claims have proven unsubstantiated and were not affected by the Direct Debit issue. One resident has now provided evidence, and the council has compensated them £12.

As well as an internal audit into how this error occurred – completed in early January - the council’s Cabinet commissioned an independent review into the communication of the error to residents, councillors, and others. This was conducted by a third-party communications expert recommended by the Local Government Association.

The council did communicate the issue to residents via its social media channels on Christmas Eve and then by the council’s email newsletter Wealden Weekly after Christmas.

However, the report found that a statement regarding the issue was not sent on Christmas Eve to councillors, MPs, the media, and other stakeholders, which would have helped to proactively inform more residents about this error before it happened. It also highlights the issue that the council’s current database does not allow residents to be emailed or sent a text within the system.

The report also makes several recommendations including a review and update of all communications policies and protocols, more frequent testing of these processes, and the development of a Critical Incident Plan. The council is clarifying how its established communication methods with residents like Wealden Weekly and My Wealden can be quickly and appropriately used during a critical incident if needed.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Community, Culture and Communications and leader of the council, said, “On behalf of the council, I once again sincerely apologise for this error. We know how important it is that we learn from this, and this administration has consistently looked to improve the way we work. We requested a Local Government Association review by peer councils last year, which found us to be well-run. Whilst this is good news, it means that our communications systems are not regularly tested in difficult situations like this, especially on Christmas eve.

“This expert review gives us the opportunity to strengthen and improve communications protocols. I am committed to taking these valuable recommendations on board and I am delighted that we’ve already begun making positive changes.”

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits, and Revenues said, “This independent review acknowledges the hard work of both councillors and officers over the Christmas period to fix this mistake and communicate to residents. However, the review is also clear that we need to have better plans in place for communicating if things go wrong in the future. We are committed to this.

“We have already implemented measures to prevent this sort of error ever happening again. Having now comprehensively reviewed all aspects of this situation and accepted the recommendations of this third-party review, we hope to rebuild trust with residents and stakeholders and continue to improve our delivery of excellent public services."

Residents can sign up to the Wealden Weekly newsletter at https://www.wealden.gov.uk/wealden-weekly/

Residents can also sign up to the MyWealden portal at https://my.wealden.gov.uk/