A PUBLIC consultation by Selby District Council has been extended after computer problems left many surveys unreadable.

The council tax support scheme began last month. It urged residents to have their say on changes to the support, which changed from a benefit to a local discount in April 2013 – meaning recipients had to meet 8.5 per cent of their council tax bills.

The Press understands a number of online surveys had already been completed by the public prior to the deadline, but were lost due to IT issues within the authority.

A council spokeswoman said: “The consultation began last month however submissions that have already been received can’t be accessed due to an IT issue. As soon as the council became aware of the issue, it has acted quickly to resolve it.

“The feedback we receive is very important to us. We’d like to apologise for this inconvenience and ask anyone who has taken the time to complete the survey to do so once again. This is an important opportunity for members of the public to directly influence how we use taxpayers’ money to support the most vulnerable members of the community. We are urging as many people as possible to take part in this consultation.”

The consultation decides how council tax support is administered in the Selby district. Resubmit your comments before September 30 at selby.gov.uk/surveys/ctax/counciltaxsupport.htm