Failing council visited by the bailiffs
A local authority had to use a credit card to settle a debt after bailiffs arrived at its head office.
According to a report by the BBC the local authority has been issued with six "unsatisfied" county court judgments since 2016, said to total £101,416 which included a £37,500 debt for photocopiers and a £50,000 judgment from May 2019.
Last month Bailiffs arrived at the council offices with an order to collect the outstanding money. Seemingly the authority had tried to make a payment but it was not received in time so the bailiffs had to be paid in person using a council credit card.
A council spokesman told the BBC the judgments were "historic" stating, "Our accounts payable team have no outstanding cases" and adding, "Suppliers can trust the council to pay its bills."
The spokesman called the number of incidents "very small compared to the amount of suppliers we have".
Northamptonshire county council is due to be replaced by two unitary authorities after it had to impose emergency spending controls in 2018. In 2019, after it recorded a projected overspend of £21 million for 2017-18, the Government sent commissioners to run the council months after it opened its new £53 million headquarters.
Northamptonshire CC was the first council in 20 years to effectively declare bankruptcy resulting in a prohibition on any new spending apart from statutory services for safeguarding vulnerable people.
Council leader at the time, Heather Smith, said the council's position was "unsustainable" and blamed government cuts and a cap on council tax for exhausting the budget.
The Johnson Partnership
Nottingham Solicitors
01159 419141
Get in touch
with your query or requirements
Nottingham Solicitors
A difficult subject for all. You may have been accused of a motoring crime or a more serious matter such as burglary or assault.
You are entitled to and can expect expert legal support on a confidential basis.
Please call today to discuss your legal needs and the availability of legal aid.
Contact
Cannon Courtyard,
Long Row,
Nottingham,
NG1 6JE
01159 419141
Long Row,
Nottingham,
NG1 6JE
01159 419141
North Notts Business Centre,
32-34 Rosemary St,
Mansfield,
Nottingham,
NG18 1QL
01623 427575
32-34 Rosemary St,
Mansfield,
Nottingham,
NG18 1QL
01623 427575