Agenda item

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder received and noted a report on the current performance of the Revenues and Benefits Section.

It was noted that at the end of the first quarter of 2017/18, the Council Tax collection rate was 34.5%, against a target of 30.7%. Net payments collected totalled £36.8m, compared to £35.8m in 2016/17.  The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder noted sustained performance levels and asked if it was appropriate to introduce a more challenging target.  In response, the Housing Benefits Manager explained that the service faced a number of challenges and maintaining performance at this level would be challenging.

In response to a request from the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder, the Housing Benefits Manager agreed that the collection analysis (Appendix 1) would include details of target collection rates.

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder congratulated the Revenues Manager and
Benefits Manager for another excellent performance report.