Issue - meetings

To receive the report of Fay Hammond, (Executive Director, Resources)

The Panel received a report from Fay Hammond (Executive Director of Resources) outlining the impact of Covid-19 on Council Tax and Business Rates in the Borough.

The following comments were received:

1.  12% loss in Business Rates and 1% loss in Council Tax has been seen.  Contributory factors for these figures include high furlough numbers, unemployment rates, and council tax support increases.

2.  The MTFP resets targets for business rates and debt collections have now restarted seeing lump sum reductions coming in.

3.  The impact of furlough, devaluation on business rates to be reviewed after Christmas and reported back if possible.

4.  The recovery plan includes better engagement with debtors and introducing a nudge technique implemented for Council Tax and Business Rates.  This is to be enhanced by an increased capacity of officers that deal with these specifications. A review of the single person discounts will also be seen.

5.  Arrears levels have been reviewed and it has been evident that benefit capping has had a huge impact on figures but the difficulty is ascertaining those who cannot pay and those who will not pay and it is the role of the Council to ensure income is maximised whilst being official.

6.  Communications are encouraged by debtors and engagement is recommended which often leads to the debt not being passed onto the debt collectors.

The Chair thanked the officers for their in depth reports.