FOI request (FOI-93025823)

Dear FOI officer, 

I write to make a freedom of information request concerning council tax.

1. Please supply a copy of your council's procedure for dealing with unpaid council tax, including a timeline of when bailiffs are involved and bankruptcy charges filed.

2. For each of the past five financial years and the year to date to 15.10.2018, please provide: The number of individuals owing outstanding council tax in the following categories of arrears: £0-5k, £5k-10k, £10-15k, etc in 5k intervals up to £50k+?

3. Please state:

a)Total spend on bailiff recovery services b)Total recovered council tax by bailiff providers

in each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to 15.10.18

4. Please provide a list of all bailiff companies used by your council during the period specified above.

5. Please state: a) the number of individuals your council has brought bankruptcy charges against in each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to 15.10.18. b) Please state how many of these bankruptcy charges that were successful c) Please provide a list of all administration companies used by your council for the specified period d) Please state the total spend by your council on administration companies for the specified period. e) Please state the total cost recovered following a successful bankruptcy charge.

I would like to receive the information electronically. If you have previously released information relevant to my request, please include it in your correspondence to me.

Q1 - Recovery procedures attached. Please note that debts that go into Enforcement (Bailiff) will only happen where the customer does not make an arrangement one.

The timeline is:

Bill Reminder - 14 days after instalment has been overdue

Reminder 2 - 14 days after the second time instalment has become overdue

Final - 14 days after reminder not paid

Summons - At least 14 days after final not paid in full (we only currently summons every 2 months)

Liability Order Hearing - 30 days after summons issued Pre Compliance Letter (14 day letter) - Within 5 days of the hearing inviting customer to make an arrangement.

Bailiff action - 30 days after pre compliance

Q2 - All individual year debts are under £5k

2013 - 714

2014 -1025

2015 -1628

2016 - 2642

2017 - 5051

2018 - 35833

Q3a - Nil

Q3b - 

2013 - 609,332.74

2014 - 724,377.99

2015 - 580,605.51

2016 - 360,369.01

2017 - 216,242.98

2018 - 184,343.24

Q4 - Rossendales Ltd

Q5a-e - nil