The clock ran out at midnight on Friday, and with it Gerald Ashcroft’s final opportunity to settle the largest outstanding tax demand in Bobington’s recent municipal history.

The Municipal Revenue Office confirmed on Saturday that no payment — full, partial, or provisional — had been received on the 2,434,600-florin vacant building levy issued to Ashcroft Property Group on 21 February. The fourteen-day payment window has now expired.

The Revenue Office has three options: grant a sixty-day extension, apply late penalties at a rate of 1.5 per cent per month, or commence enforcement proceedings. A decision is expected early this week.

The Dispute

Ashcroft’s solicitor, Edmond Crayle of Crayle, Whitford & Associates, filed formal disputes on three property classifications on Tuesday — two warehouses on Chandler’s Row and one on lower Harbourfront Parade. In each case, Crayle argues the properties are “under renovation” rather than vacant, a distinction that would exempt them from the levy.

If accepted, the disputes would reduce the total demand by between 380,000 and 440,000 florins. This leaves approximately two million florins uncontested — at least in principle. Crayle has not indicated whether his client intends to pay the undisputed balance.

The Revenue Office is reviewing the renovation claims. No site inspections have yet been scheduled.

The Wider Audit

The dispute sits within the context of the broader Docklands safety audit, which has now assessed 60 of 72 identified vacant commercial properties. Twelve irregularities have been recorded, including the falsified fire safety certificates that prompted the Constabulary investigation.

The remaining twelve properties are expected to be assessed by the end of next week. A preliminary report to the council is anticipated in mid-March.

Inspector Callum Frye’s investigation into the certificate forgery scheme continues. Arthur Selby, the sole named director of Southgate Safety Consultants — the ghost compliance firm linked to the fraudulent certificates — has been asked to attend a voluntary interview at the Constabulary. The Constabulary declined to comment on whether the interview has taken place.

Solicitor Elise Braddock, representing Vincent Drury of Greystone Shipping & Haulage, said on Friday that her client “continues to cooperate fully” and now refers to the certificates as having been obtained through “third parties.”

What Comes Next

The enforcement question is not merely administrative. A Revenue Office decision to impose penalties would add approximately 36,500 florins per month to the outstanding balance. Enforcement proceedings — which can include asset liens and, in extreme cases, compulsory property auctions — require a council resolution.

Whether the council has appetite for enforcement while simultaneously debating the commission report and the tramway’s financing is an open question. Speaker Falk has not commented on the matter, and Mayor Blackthorne — who breaks her three-week silence tomorrow — is understood to regard the Revenue Office’s handling of the Ashcroft account as an operational matter, not a political one.

Crayle’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.