Rates bill arriving in Larne this week

The bills are being sent out by Land and Property Services (LPS), the government agency responsible for collecting rates.

There are 12,374 ratepayers in the Larne council area and through the payment of their rates they have helped to fund the provision of a number of public services.

A spokesman for the LPS said that, since 2006/07 alone, over 66 million has been collected in the Larne area.

“This money has been invested in vital public services such as healthcare, education and roads as well as helping to fund a number of council services including recreational facilities, bin collection, tourism and local events,” he said.

Larne council’s chief executive, Geraldine McGahey, said: “The council remains committed to the provision of quality services and has approved a substantial number of capital schemes based on community need.

“These include the landmark Gobbins Cliff project at Islandmagee, the modernisation and renovation of the Leisure Centre and a new pavilion at Sandy Bay. Provision has also been made for the upgrade of the Town Hall and Market Yard and the purchase of land for Larne Cemetery, as well as the implementation of the parks strategy and a contribution towards the creation of innovation incubation hubs.”

The LPS spokesperson also said that this year’s bill had been redesigned to make it more “user friendly” and to allow ratepayers to see the most important information at a glance.

She added: “A new booklet has also been produced, which will be issued to all ratepayers with their bill. We would encourage everyone to read this booklet carefully as it contains a lot of useful information about how their bill is calculated and answers to a number of frequently asked questions.”

A four per cent discount is available to all Northern Ireland domestic ratepayers if they pay their rate bill in full by Friday, May 7.

The spokesperson added: “If you pay your rate bill in full, in a single payment, by the discount day - Friday, May 7 - you will receive an early payment discount. Ratepayers must allow a minimum of five working days for payment to reach LPS.

“Alternatively you can pay by direct debit.”

A new rates QuickPay card is also available, allowing customers to bring it along to any Post Office or one of the participating payzone outlets and pay their bill either in full or by instalments.

Ratepayers also have the option of paying their bill online.

The spokesperson added: “If you are having trouble paying your rate bill we would encourage you to make contact with us to see if you are entitled to any of the rate reliefs available or to enter into a payment agreement with us.”

This year, LPS and NI Direct have teamed up to answer questions from ratepayers about their bills. LPS will hold a one-hour session on www.nidirect.gov.uk on Thursday, April 15 to answer individual queries.

If ratepayers have specific questions in relation to their bill they can email [email protected] before Tuesday, April 13. A response will be posted on the website on Thursday, April 15 at 2:30 pm.