CUSTOMERS can now pay their council bills by debit card either on-line, by telephone or in the four Fenland @ Your Service shops. Council tax, business rates, rents, invoices and planning fees can be paid by debit card. Customers are also encouraged to pa

CUSTOMERS can now pay their council bills by debit card either on-line, by telephone or in the four Fenland @ Your Service shops.Council tax, business rates, rents, invoices and planning fees can be paid by debit card. Customers are also encouraged to pay their Council Tax and business rates by direct debit.The new service is designed to benefit customers by being more convenient, quicker and more accessible as well as eliminating the need to carry cash.Payments on-line can be made from home or by using one of the computers in the shops where a trained customer service adviser will be there to assist. Alternatively, payments can be made by telephoning the contact centre on 01354 654321.Debit card payment is more cost-effective, not only for the customer, but for the council as it is a cheaper way of collecting money and means more funds are available to spend on providing services.The four Fenland @ Your Service shops and the contact centre are open from 8.30am until 5.30pm on weekdays and from 9am to noon on Saturdays. The Chatteris shop opens on Wednesdays at 1pm and the Whittlesey shop closes at 1pm on Wednesdays.Councillor Peter Skoulding, portfolio holder for Financial Strategy, said: "We are using all the technology available to us to make it more convenient for people to pay for services. It also represents an efficiency saving over time for the authority, too. It is a win, win situation."For more information visit www.fenland.gov.uk.