ROSSENDALE council leader John Holt has claimed that criticisms of the council's debt collection service do not take into account the local situation.

Action was already being taken to improve debt recovering and make it easier for local people to pay council tax and rent bills.

From April 1, bills can be paid at more than 50 post offices rather than just at the council's collection office. Four of those five collection offices will be closed with only the one at Rawtenstall, by far the busiest, remaining open.

The service has been "slated" in a report produced as part of the government's best value initiative part of the Audit Commission which says the service needs to set itself more challenging targets and work more closely with local people.

It recommends greater co-operation with agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureaux, and more clearly defined staff roles to avoid confusion.

The inspection team gave the Rossendale service just one star on a scale where 0 is poor and three is excellent.

But it also highlighted positive aspects including quick collection of arrears so that money can be spent on providing services and that staff take account of individual circumstances when agreeing repayment plans, increasing the chance of repayment.

"However, to drive forward real change, the service needs to set challenging targets with the aim of matching the performance of the top 25 per cent of councils. It should work more closely with local people to ensure their needs are being met and develop stronger relationships with groups such as the Citizens Advice Bureaux, to help those in financial difficulty."

The report revealed that the total average cost of dealing with an invoice in Rossendale is £8.33, up to four times the cost in other councils.

Coun Holt commented: "They quote Colchester in these figures. I have no idea what the deprivation position is in Colchester compared to Rossendale but my view is they are not comparing like with like. We shall be looking into the costs but we need to take into account the general situation with regard to deprivation in an area like East Lancs."

The report also mentions increasing opportunities for people to pay by direct debit. Coun Holt commented: "If people are struggling to pay their bills they are hardly likely to get on to a direct debit system at a bank."