7:00pm Thursday 26th November 2009
RESIDENTS in Christchurch reliant on Christmas parcels from a goodwill fund nearly had to forego their Yuletide present due to an untimely banking error.
The parcels, supplied by funds from the Mayor’s Goodwill Fund, provide grocery parcels, potted plants, sweets for children and grants to organisations for Christmas activities for the elderly, disabled and underprivileged in the Borough of Christchurch.
But this year the items, which are normally delivered to residents by Scouts and Guides, nearly did not reach the recipients, who are nominated by a range of local care services including Help the Aged, health centres, social services and a committee of past mayors of the borough. When a council employee, one of the three required signatories, went to Barclays in Christchurch High Street to transfer the money from the savings account to the current account, she was surprised to be told she was not recognised by the bank as one of the signatories.
Thinking they might still have a previous employee on their records, who had left the council in 2007, she asked them to check again.
But the bank said that they had no record of her or any change in the signatories, despite the modification not being questioned by the bank last year.
Michael Turvey, chief executive of Christchurch Borough Council, said: “This was obviously an error on the part of Barclays, but it’s one that could have impacted on some of the most vulnerable people in the borough.”
And he added: “The council has stepped in to provide the money to the Mayor’s Goodwill Fund as a temporary measure but, in view of their error, it would be nice if Barclays made some contribution to the Goodwill Fund themselves.”
A spokesperson for Barclays Bank commented: “As you would expect, we take the identification and verification of customers’ accounts extremely seriously.”
The bank had been unable to follow the required procedures and therefore had been unable to release the money.
“We have spoken to our customer and are working closely with them to rectify the situation as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.
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