A LEADING blind support group today pledged to take authorities to court if they did not offer council tax bill in a format which suited partially-sighted people.

The pledge came as one man blasted Blackburn with Darwen Council for telling him he should get his friends to read his council tax bill to him instead of sending him one in Braille.

But today Alan Cotton, Director of Finance, maintained the council was not breaking the law after it emerged that Blackburn with Darwen was not alone in its non-Braille policy.

The row broke out after blind man Sajid Hussain wrote to the council asking for them to provide him with a version of his council tax bill in Braille, the form of raised print used by blind people to enable them to read using their fingers.

The 32-year-old, of Bastwell Road, says he was told that the council could not do that for him, and to provide such a service would, in effect, lead to council taxes being raised.

Mr Hussain said: "They told me I should get a friend or someone from my family to read the bill to me so I know what I owe them.

"But why should I have to do that? All my other bills, like the gas and electricity, are sent to me in Braille so I don't see why this one should be any different.

"I find it offensive that I am expected to rely on other people to help me pay my bill. Independence is important to me and also to many other blind and partially-sighted people. We want to be able to do things on our own."

A spokesman for the RNIB said today: "We are very disappointed to hear that Blackburn with Darwen Council is not providing bills in a format Mr Hussain can read and are expecting him to rely on others to read personal information.

"The local council does have a legal obligation to ensure he can access their service. Local authorities should lead the way in terms of communicating with customers and set an example to the private sector.

"RNIB interprets the Disability Discrimination Act as meaning councils provide information in a format which blind and partially-sighted people can follow.

"For some people, Braille is the only option. We have taken authorities to court in the past but normally they settle out of court. If we receive a complaint, we will look into it."

Mr Cotton said: "We sympathise with Mr Hussain but would advise that the council does not have a legal obligation to provide council tax bills in Braille.

"We would hope that family members or friends of people who are blind or are partially-sighted will help them by reading documents of this nature for them."

Ribble Valley Council said it had no set plans to help blind people, while both Pendle and Burnley do make large print bills available if requested.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "We haven't issued guidance on this. We know a lot of councils send information in Braille."

A Government spokesman said there was no instruction saying local authorities were obliged to provide bills in Braille. It was down to the discretion of each authority but he added: "They should provide some alternative."