A PENSIONER has hit out at private contractor Capita for repeated failings in dealing with his council tax bill.

Great-grandfather Howard Fuller, 84, of Vicarage Road, Steventon, says the Vale of White Horse District Council should ditch the company.

The firm’s latest error led to Mr Fuller being sent three different letters about his council tax on one day — each riddled with mistakes about his property, name, or account details.

In March, the retired scientist set up a direct debit to pay his council tax in 10 monthly installments.

But last month he received a fresh demand for a different amount, paid over five months.

When Mr Fuller rang up to question the letter, he was put through to a Capita operative in Kent, who told him his account had been closed in July.

But on the same day, Capita staff sent him two extra letters.

One was a credit note for £329, but relating to a property that Mr Fuller had no connection with. The other was a credit note for £101, but addressed to someone he had never heard of.

Somehow, Capita had recorded Mr Fuller as owning a property six miles from his home, and listed his house – where he has lived for 30 years – as having a different owner.

He was even sent a council tax guide produced by the wrong local authority.

He said: “Council tax is not a minor payment. This is sheer incompetence.

“The Vale of White Horse has not been monitoring the situation with sufficient care.

“It’s time it took itself seriously and found a competent agent.

“The council should cut its losses and take it back on board.

“It is a mess. Anyone running their business like this should be ashamed of themselves.”

Capita signed a wide-ranging contract to manage South Oxfordshire and the Vale district councils’ business in July 2006.

Last month, it was revealed the company had presided over 3,038 benefit overpayments — totalling £1,339,646.64 — in South Oxfordshire due to administrative errors.

A spokesman for Capita said: “Capita has sincerely apologised to Mr Fuller for the error in closing his account.

“This was an isolated incident and we have taken steps to ensure that nothing like this can happen again.”

Steve Bishop, strategic director at the Vale, said: “We have been satisfied with Capita’s council tax collection performance since the start of the contract.

“They continue to achieve impressive collection rates of more than 98 per cent and from 22,000 written inquiries received from the public in 2008/09, there were 32 formal complaints.

“Only eight of these were justified.

“So far this year we have had nine formal complaints and only one of these was justified.”