Wolverhampton Labour councillor fined over missed council tax payment
A Wolverhampton councillor has been ordered to pay a fine of £850 by a court after failing to pay her council tax on time, it has emerged.
Wolverhampton's Labour councillor Rupinderjit Kaur was among six councillors across the Black Country and Staffordshire to be sanctioned for unpaid council tax. They include South Staffordshire's Tory Councillor Henryk Lobuczek, who missed a due payment for more than two months and was barred from voting in the authority's budget.
Meanwhile former Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Joy Garner was fined £95 for missing a council tax payment to Stoke-on-Trent Council.
The figures came via a Freedom of Information request and relate to the financial year 2015/16. It asked how many councillors received reminder letters, how many were summoned to court, how many of those cases went ahead and how many councillors were subsequently banned from voting on their authority's budget.
Councils in the Black Country sent out 10 reminders to elected members over unpaid council tax in the period, with two cases leading to court summons.
Ms Kaur, who was elected to represent Spring Vale in last year's council elections, paid a fine of £850.56 after she was summoned.
She told the Express & Star: "We are all human beings and all of us make mistakes from time to time. I have now rectified this particular mistake."
One case also went to court in Sandwell, although Sandwell Council refused to name the councillor involved.
Dudley Council sent out four reminders, while Walsall Council sent out none.
Across Staffordshire, local authorities sent out 22 reminders over unpaid council tax. In Cannock Chase Labour's Hednesford North councillor Doris Grice was fined £463, plus £90 court costs.
She said: "I was in hospital at the time and missed a payment by a couple of days."
In South Staffordshire Mr Lobuczek said he got into arrears after losing his job.
Mr Lobuczek, who was elected to represent Featherstone and Shareshill last year, said: "We all have troubles from time to time and my personal circumstances meant that I was unable to pay my council tax."
