The Lib Dem Group of councillors at Mendip are pleased to report that we were able to persuade Mendip District Council to agree to a review of the system for chasing up non-payment of council tax.

A successful motion, proposed by Councillor Adam Boyden (Frome College ward) led to a cross-party review into how the council could better support vulnerable people and families struggling with debts to pay council tax without referring people to bailiffs. This was after we heard from volunteers of the Mendip Community Credit Union, Mendip Citizens Advice and national organisations (the Children’s Society, Money Advice Trust, StepChange Debt Charity, and Citizens Advice) how the use of bailiffs to collect council tax was affecting vulnerable people and families struggling with debt, and that Mendip used bailiffs more often than other districts in Somerset.

A report of the cross-party review, with 10 recommendations, was approved by the council’s Scrutiny Board in March 2016.

There will now be an improvement to the way vulnerable people are treated in the collection of council tax, especially regarding the use of bailiffs, while the council will continue to be robust in getting a very good overall collection rate, which is vital in funding local public services.

Councillor Adam Boyden said “This should really help financially stressed households get the support they need. Thanks go to the volunteers of Mendip Community Credit Union for raising these concerns in the first place, and my Lib Dem colleagues and the cross-party working group for their support.”

Local Lib Dem Councillors are encouraging anyone with difficulties paying their council tax to contact Mendip District Council on 0300 3038588 or visit www.mendip.gov.uk. Alternatively they should contact Mendip Citizens Advice, Mendip Community Credit Union or their local councillor.

Ends

For further information, please contact:

Cllr Adam Boyden on 07809 284817 or aomboyden@yahoo.co.uk

Cllr Ros Wyke on 01749 870347 or roswyke@yahoo.co.uk

Cllr Helen Sprawson-White on 07713 565265 or helensprawson@yahoo.co.uk

The report of the cross-party Bailiffs Task and Finish Group to Mendip District Council’s Scrutiny Board can be found at item 9 here: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/3905/Monday-21-March-2016

The minutes of that meeting can be found on pages 4-6 of item 5 here: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/3897/Monday-25-April-2016

Further background to the successful motion on this issue, which led to the review, can be found here:  http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/11/02/mendip-lib-dems-win-vote-to-protect-children-and-vulnerable-people-from-bailiffs/

Mendip District Council’s official press release on this issue can be found here: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/4602/Mendip-offers-support-over-council-tax-repayments

The Mendip Community Credit Union work to enable people in a community to come together to save ethically and to borrow money at competitive rates. If more people volunteer, the MCCU could reach even more people, so to give or receive help please email info@mendipcommunitycu.org.uk, see https://www.mendipcommunitycu.org.uk/, call 0800 622 6036, or come to Frome Library on Saturdays between 10am and 12 noon or to the Key Centre on Thursday mornings between 9.00 and 11.30am.

The following motion was approved at the meeting of Mendip District Council on 22 October 2015:

“Council Tax Bailiffs, Children and Vulnerable Households

In light of informal complaints from a local debt advice organisation about the Council’s use of Enforcement Agents (bailiffs) to collect Council Tax from vulnerable households (including families with children), the recent research and recommendations from The Children’s Society (‘The Wolf At a The Door’ report) and National Debtline (the recent ‘Stop The Knock’ report), data which shows the council referred cases to bailiffs 2659 times for Council Tax in 2014/15 (5% of properties), and the LGA and Citizens Advice Bureau’s ‘Collection of Council Tax arrears Good Practice Protocol’ (2013) and Good Practice Guidance from DCLG, the Council resolves to:

1. Work with independent debt advice organisations to ensure that people falling behind with Council Tax payments are given early free debt advice and helped to set up affordable repayment plans to pay off their debts to the Council in an effective way; and
2. Review its Council Tax debt collection procedures where vulnerable people and families with children are involved, and to only use bailiffs as an absolute last resort, in order to safeguard children and vulnerable households; and
3. Seek to sign up to the Local Government Association and Citizen Advice ‘Collection of Council Tax Arrears Good Practice Protocol’, as recommended by the Government; and
4. Report the Council’s Review to Scrutiny Board, and programme in an annual review into Scrutiny Board’s annual programme.”

 

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