Seemingly at every opportunity they can, Wirral’s Labour councillors moan about the “bedroom tax” yet last Thursday Wirral Council’s Cabinet agreed a new tax on Wirral’s citizens of their own. Wirral Council’s Department of Adult Social Services, keen to find ways to pay back the temporary budget of £8.8 million they’ve been given this year, have come up with a new plan endorsed by Wirral Council’s Cabinet last Thursday.

If you owe Wirral Council’s Adult Social Services department money, have been dead for more than fifty-six days and not paid it back, Wirral Council will now charge 4% interest on the outstanding debt. Previously Wirral Council didn’t charge interest on outstanding debts if you were dead, but now trying to encourage repayment they will.

So will this change in charging policy persuade grieving relatives to clear their loved one’s debts to Wirral Council? Time will tell, but judging by a recent Liverpool Echo headline about the over five thousand Wirral residents Wirral Council is taking to court for unpaid Council Tax, a lot of Wirral people just don’t have the spare money to pay whether Wirral set an interest rate of 4% or none at all.

What do Wirral Council call this policy? It’s called Fairer Charging.