I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:
1. Since April 2020, has the council at any point used debt enforcement agencies (or similar service providers) in relation to cases of outstanding council tax debt?
If the answer to question 1 is ‘no’, the council should proceed to questions 8 and 9.
2. What are the debt enforcement agencies referred to in response to question 1?
3. How many council tax debt cases were referred to each of the debt enforcement agencies listed in response to question 2 in each financial year 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23?
4. How much unpaid council tax debt (preferably including any ‘penalty’ fees/charges) was referred in total to debt enforcement agencies in the financial years 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 combined? This should be one figure, combining all the debt enforcement agencies and all three financial years
5. How much of the council tax debt stated in response to question 4 was collected after being referred to a debt enforcement agency? Again, this should be one figure combining all agencies and all three financial years (including debt that was collected in a later financial year than when it was referred)
6. The total number of council tax accounts in each council electoral ward in 2022/23 (this is all council tax accounts, not just those carrying debts or referred to debt enforcement agencies). Preferably this should be a whole-year figure, but if that is not possible a snapshot figure will suffice. If possible within the section 12 cost limit, I would like these figures to exclude accounts relating to designated second homes and empty properties
7. The number of council tax accounts that were referred to debt enforcement agencies for council tax debt collection in 2022/23, broken down by electoral ward. This means those accounts where the referral took place during 2022/23. If possible within the section 12 cost limit, I would like these figures to exclude accounts relating to designated second homes and empty properties
8. The total number of council tax accounts in each council electoral ward at present (this is all council tax accounts, not just those carrying debts or referred to debt enforcement agencies). This should be the most recent snapshot figure available. If possible within the section 12 cost limit, I would like these figures to exclude accounts relating to designated second homes and empty properties
9. The number of council tax accounts that currently have unpaid council tax debts relating to financial years prior to 2023/24, broken down by electoral ward. If possible within the section 12 cost limit, I would like these figures to exclude accounts relating to designated second homes and empty properties
If the information for any questions are unavailable within the section 12 cost limit, please exclude those questions as “information not held” and fulfil the remainder of the request.
Please provide the information for questions 6-9 in an editable spreadsheet (not pdf).