Russell Holland deputy leader os Swindon Borough Council stands in for council chief

THIS year Swindon Borough Council will spend £135.2 million providing services across Swindon. We spend most of our money on helping those most in need, particularly vulnerable children and adults. There are over 88,000 households across Swindon who pay £81.3 million in council tax to contribute towards these services.

This means that collecting council tax is a key priority and I am pleased to say that our collection rate is 97.82%. We are a top performing council when it comes to collecting council tax and we have improved our collection rate in recent years.

However, I regret to say that just two years ago around 14,500 people were summoned to the magistrates courts for non-payment of council tax. We have worked very hard to reduce this number through text reminders and telephone calls and we have reduced this number to just under 9,500. But it is still too many.

My message is this: If you or anyone you know is having financial problems paying your council tax, please contact the council today. You can contact the council by phone on 0345 302 2316 or e-mail on Swindon.counciltax@secure.captia.co.uk, or customerservices@swindon.gov.uk

While it is vital that everyone pays council tax, we want to treat people who are having problems fairly.

As part of our work to help people on low incomes or facing other financial problems we have been continuing to develop our relationships with voluntary sector organisations across Swindon to help people get the advice and support that they need.

We have set up a Swindon Benefits Strategy & Welfare Reform Group, which is a meeting that is open to any organisation or individual who is interested in social inclusion in Swindon. We have been conducting research and have developed a Financial Inclusion Policy to work towards helping people maximise their incomes and manage their debts.

To anyone who is facing problems, please don’t ignore them, there are many people who are ready and willing to help you. Money worries can be extremely stressful, the sooner you get help the sooner you can start to put things right.

While the council has an important role to play in helping people in need, we cannot do it all by ourselves. I am always impressed and inspired by the many organisations across Swindon who give so much time and effort to help those around them.

Service to others is always a positive experience and does so much to help both the person who receives help and persons who give it. There are opportunities all around right now, if you are fortunate enough to have some time or resource to give, please think about what you can do to play your part.