A WOMAN has hit out at the council for deducting income tax from her payment for working as a poll clerk on election day, and is still waiting for the rebate two and a half months on.

Pamela Richards, 74, worked as a clerk at the Wanstead House polling station on May 6 and was given a cheque for her work on the day of the poll.

However, instead of receiving the £275 she should have been paid, she was deducted £54.20 for income tax, despite being a pensioner and earning far less than the income tax threshold.

Mrs Richards, of Blake Hall Road, said: “I contacted the council and they said I needed to fill in a form and send it back, so I did.

“Then I didn't hear anything and I got in touch with them again, and they said I needed to cash the original cheque and they would send me one for the additional amount.

“But I don't want to do that in case something happens and I need to prove how much I was paid originally, because my bank will charge me to get a copy of the cheque back after it's been paid in.”

Mrs Richards said she returned a completed form to the council weeks before the election day to confirm that she shouldn't have any tax deducted.

Despite repeated attempts to contact the council, Mrs Richard said she has not been able to find out where her money is, either from council officers or her local councillors, Conservative Alex Wilson.

She said: “Since then the council has just start ignoring me. I hand-delivered a letter to Councillor Wilson's door, and I checked with a neighbour that that was where he lived, and he hasn't got back to me after three weeks.

“This happened to a friend of mine, Diana Branley who did the same work and she got the tax back within about a week after filling another form. When she spoke to the council she was told that it had happened to quite a lot of people.

“I filled in the same form and I'm still waiting. I think they're rather hoping that I'm going to forget about it, but I'm not.

“At my age and when you're on a pension every penny counts, so I really need this money.”

A Redbridge Council spokeswoman said: “Every poll clerk who works on an election has to complete an acceptance form which requests information about their tax status.

“A tax form is then sent to them prior to the election and when it is completed and returned, the status is amended to ensure they are tax exempt. If a form is not received the person would automatically be deducted tax.

“The council has received some requests from people who need tax refunds and these have been processed and they have received the additional payment to reflect the difference in income tax.

“Any person eligible to receive a tax fund is required to contact the Electoral Registration office and they will have no problem in arranging for the supplemental payment being paid.

“If no form has been received and a person does not contact the Electoral Registration Office we would be unaware any such payment needs to be made.”