ALL legal and any other enforcement action to recover unpaid council tax or business rates has been suspended by Stratford District Council.
The authority says no legal summonses will be issued, all scheduled court hearings will be cancelled and there will be no further contact by or action taken by enforcement agencies until further notice.
The collection of direct debits and other payment plans and options remain in place as normal as it says council tax and business rates must still be paid.
The Council says the move has been made to help residents and businesses deal with the financial issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The District Council does not have the legal power to suspend council tax or business rates, but a spokesperson for the authority said council chiefs did realise that the timing of receiving a council tax bill now may cause further concern to those in financial difficulties.
They said there had always been mechanisms in place to assist those with difficulties paying and those in that position are urged to contact the Council quickly to discuss how they can be helped.
The contact centre is on 01789 267575 and it remains open.
The spokesperson added that following the announcement from Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, that additional business rate relief and grants will be made available to small businesses and those in the worst-affected sectors of retail, leisure and hospitality, the authority was ready to get this money to local businesses as soon as it can.
The Government has advised local councils that they can expect the funding for this hardship grant in early April.
