THE cost of fixing a council-tax blunder in the Selby district will be about £19,000, it has been revealed.

Thousands of council-tax bills were printed and sent to residents in recent weeks, which contained the incorrect figures, and showed higher than normal costs for residents for the 2013/2014 period. Some bills also included incorrect dates.

A Selby District Council spokeswoman said: “At this stage we anticipate that the cost of issuing new bills and advertising the new rates will be around £19,000.

“The parish precept level on bills has been incorrectly calculated, which means the total bill is marginally higher than it should be. To reflect the change we won’t be taking any direct debit payments in April.”

Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright said: “I think that is on the cheap side, and it will cost at least that just to post out new bills. I think that’s an underestimate. Either way, the ratepayers will end up paying for it, and it will probably be £25-£30,000 by the time it’s finished.”

The council spokeswoman said that residents on the standard ten-month instalment plan will instead have their first payment taken in May, with the instalment plan running until February 2014.

She said any payments made by other means by residents, either in April or earlier, will be logged by the council in individual accounts, and “the total bill will be adjusted accordingly”.

An update on the council website assured residents they “will not be over-charged for the whole year”, and “for most of those affected, bills may actually be slightly lower than first advertised.”

Residents are advised that although the first direct-debit payments will start in May, rather than April, the day of the month will remain the same.

A hotline has been set up by the council on 01757 292181, or queries can be emailed to info@selby.gov.uk