TWO stories for you . . .

The first concerns a teacher of religion and language who over, a four year period, systematically robs Blackburn Council of £16,000 in housing benefit. That's our money actually, we just entrust the council to look after it for us - more fool us!

On being caught out, this "pillar of society", a man of "considerable repute", and all-round good guy paid all the money back - as you would.

Maybe, it was an oversight on his part, but he admittedly made the same oversight 102 times. That seems a bit much.

The magistrates, in an effort to show that this sort of fraud will not be tolerated, jailed him for three months - he will serve about six weeks. Very severe!

The second story involves me. In 1998/99 I missed one month's council tax of £41. I got a summons and the council added on £26.70 costs, so I paid before the court day. In April this year, I missed one month again and in May, got a summons, plus £26.70 council costs.

No allowance was made for the fact I had paid all the other instalments for years and I was given no chance to add the arrears to the next month.

The point of these two stories is this - why did no-one from the housing benefit department check on this man's claim for all those years, to verify who actually owned the house?

Is it just another case of 'political correctness' gone mad, or are the council employees concerned too idle to do their job, and too willing to take the soft option and hound the likes of me?

In most other jobs, people are paid on results, apparently not so in some council departments. It seems no-one is answerable.

The heads of the departments concerned with collecting and supposedly taking care of our money, should take full responsibility on these matters. As they say, "the buck stops here."

MICHAEL FOX, Haslingden Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.