Issue - meetings

 Report attached.

Council NOTED the amounts written off under delegated powers, as set out in the report. 

Council NOTED the amounts written off under delegated powers, as set out in the report. 

In introducing the report, Councillor SM Edwards, Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder, stated that the year-on-year comparison of amounts written off showed that amounts were reducing; however, this was likely to be partly attributable to smaller businesses feeling the adverse effects of the economic downturn. Councillor Edwards hoped that the work the Cabinet Champion for Business and Employment could address this issue as part of his remit over the coming year.

In commenting on the reports, Council requested that Local Ward Members’ knowledge of local circumstances could be of great benefit in maintaining the Council’s high collection rates and minimising the requirement to write-off debts considered to be irrecoverable. The Principal Solicitor advised that Local Ward Members and officers must be mindful of their obligations under data protection legislation although government was keen to see information sharing to assist with issues such as fraud prevention. She indicated that she would instruct the Senior Lawyer to consider whether an information-sharing protocol to facilitate the use of Local Ward Members’ knowledge could be lawfully introduced.

The Leader of the Council stated that only a tiny proportion of the total amounts due to the Council had been written off. As such, he congratulated officers for their hard work in contributing to the Council’s impressive collection performance.