Declaring an interest (From Penarth Times)

Declaring an interest

7:50am Thursday 27th September 2012 in Letters

WITH regard to the article ‘Prison sentence for council tax defaulter’ (Penarth Times, September 20).

When such defaulters appear before what is known as the fines court for not abiding by the agreement to pay off their council tax arrears, it should be borne in mind that there are magistrates on the bench who are also councillors on the local authority that instigated the proceedings. It would be only right and proper for said magistrates to step down in such cases because, I believe, they have a self-interest in ensuring that council tax is paid, so that they may receive their over-generous allowances and expenses.

In the interests of transparency, I would ask that the court give details of how many councillors, acting as magistrates in council tax default hearings, have stepped down from the Bench for such cases.

Anthony Bright Saint Dyfrig Road Penarth