A woman who cared for her disabled son for 33 years has accused the City of York Council of behaving "callously and insensitively" following his death.

Valerie Edgar's son Martin, who suffered from cerebral palsy, died at her home in Marjorie Waite Court, Clifton, on February 10.

But while still grieving, she was appalled when she received a bill from the council for £11.33 - backpay on rates relief she had received for her son for the year to the end of March.

Her complaint to the council about the insensitivity and lack of explanation for the bill brought an immediate apology from the city's financial services department for her "distress and inconvenience" - and an assurance that working practices of staff were being reviewed "to ensure that problems of this nature do not occur again."

But within a week of that apology she received another letter from the council - this time a warning that if she did not pay the money by April 27 she would be taken to court for recovery and could incur an extra charge of £30. The council defends its action by pointing out that it is required by law to collect the correct amount of council tax from its residents.

But Mrs Edgar said: "There was never any question that I would pay this bill. I planned to add it to my next rates bill on April 15. But how callous and insensitive can you get? How hurtful?

"In the 33 years I cared for Martin, I must have saved ratepayers hundreds of thousands of pounds which might otherwise have been paid to keep him in a home with 24-hour care seven days a week."

At the end of March 2000, Mrs Edgar's rates bill of £661.52 was offset by disabled relief for her son of £82.69, but with Martin's death the following February, the council wanted some of the relief back to the end of March 2001.

Mrs Edgar's husband, Allan, said: "The callousness of the council's approach is in stark contrast to its actions in wiping thousands of pounds of debt in unpaid council rents off the slate."

A council spokesperson said: "We have apologised for not sending out a covering letter with Mrs Edgar's revised Council tax bill, and have taken measures to try to ensure that this will not happen again."

Updated: 11:24 Tuesday, April 10, 2001