THOUSANDS of council tax forms have been sent out without vital payment details, while thousands more have been sent duplicate bills, in the latest administrative blunder to hit Barnet Council.

Around 3,600 households across the borough have been sent letters without a new barcode designed to replace the Giro payment system for people who pay over the counter at places like the Post Office.

So far the council says only 100 have been reprinted for residents.

Myk Tucker of Hillersdon Avenue, Edgware, said the problem meant people like him, who pay twice yearly, may not be able to get their first payments made by April 5.

He added: “What is the council going to do for those people they can’t get forms out to on time, are they going to give us a stay of execution?

“It’s amazing that in the first year of this new system they forget to put the barcode on the form, in such hard times you would think it’s vital to make sure they get every penny of council tax revenue.

“It does make you wonder what other mistakes there are on these forms.”

A statement from Barnet Council said: “These bills were for a minority of the residents who have elected to pay on a yearly or half-yearly basis - a barcode allows payment to be made at a post office or via a Paypoint.

“Fortunately, most of the recipients will not be affected as they pay via a high street bank, via cheque or use the council’s online and telephone payment systems, all of which do not require a barcode.

“Replacement bills were printed last week and will be issued to those who require them.”

But another resident who did not receive the barcode is Alan Kutner, who has lived in Spencer Close, Finchley, for 28 years. He said he was told by a council customer services adviser there was not supposed to be a barcode.

He told the Times Series: “I got a letter telling me the new barcode system was in place, but when I shook the envelope nothing came out.

“I rang the council and the woman told me there were no barcodes and I would have to pay by direct debit. I didn’t want to do this as I don’t want to give my details to the council.

“It seems to me they’re trying to make residents work harder for them by tricking us into setting up direct debits when we don’t want to.”

The council said it promotes direct debit “as the most convenient, reliable and cheapest method of payment”.

In another twist 5,000 people have been sent duplicate bills to two or more members of the household with demands for the same amount.

One east Barnet resident, who asked not to be named, said she had received the same bill as her husband at the same time for their house.

She added: “It just smacks of incompetence. How much money and resources have been wasted sending out these duplicate letters? Not to mention the confusion for many residents.“

The council has recently been forced to use a new software system for its revenues and benefits database, with problems with “data migration” being blamed for the duplication.

“Data cleansing” is now going to be carried out, said the council.

Have you been sent a duplicate or misprinted bill? Leave your comments below.