A FORMER casino manager says costs for court summons for non-payment of council tax are an attack on the vulnerable.
Peter Bottrill, 66, fell £20 behind on his council tax in August last year but then received a summons with court costs of £52.
He says the court costs are not an appropriate reflection and that he is raising the matter with the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
Barnsley Council has sent Mr Bottrill a method of how the courts reach their costs and says the matter is now closed.
Mr Bottrill said: "These charges are a way of getting at the most vulnerable. I understand 5,000 summons to court have gone out - that makes £260,000 to be collected in costs.
"I also question the description of 'costs' when the figure they've reached is based on estimates.
"People receiving these summons don't usually question it - they just accept it - when it's just a way of making money."
