Cheques and postal orders to be phased out from 2022

From 1 January 2022, we will no longer accept fee payments made by either cheque, postal order or payable order, and will only accept online payments through MyAccount on our website (via debit/credit cards) or direct bank transfers.

The Finance and Resources Committee made this decision unanimously at its November meeting, in the face of the very low demand for these older payment methods and the disproportionate administrative burden they pose.

Out of over 50,000 fee payments made during 2021, only around 100 (0.2%) were made by cheque. Processing cheque payments has become increasingly difficult due to a reduction both in postal services and the availability of bank branches. The consequent delays can also cause uncertainty for payers, and lead to duplicate payments being made.

We will continue to process cheques, postal orders and payable orders we receive up to and including 31 December 2021. Any of these received from 1 January 2022 onwards will be securely destroyed, and the payer contacted to arrange an alternative payment method, ideally an online payment by debit or credit card in MyAccount, or a direct bank transfer.