I HAVE just read the council advertisement regarding the council tax rates for this year. This states: “It is important that instalments are paid on the due date... as the council will take prompt action against late payers.”

Why, then, year after year, are we told about thousands of pounds of unpaid council tax? If they take prompt action, there shouldn’t be any unpaid instalments.

The rest of us are being charged and penalised for those who don’t pay.

It’s a different matter for those with desperate financial problems, but they get help for that.

There are many who won’t pay and just get away with it because it seems the council doesn’t visit the non-payers.

More direct action to clear these thousands should be taken, then perhaps staff wouldn’t be losing their jobs.

Janet S Kitchen-Cooper, Ashley Park Road, York.