Recommendations & Conclusions
3 items
3
Recommendation
Second Report - Council Tax Collection
Accepted in Part
In addition, by the end of this Parliament, the Government should amend existing regulations to enshrine in law the principle that collection should be based on a resident’s ability to pay, including by requiring local authorities to offer people affordable repayment plans when an unpaid balance becomes payable.
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In addition, by the end of this Parliament, the Government should amend existing regulations to enshrine in law the principle that collection should be based on a resident’s ability to pay, including by requiring local authorities to offer people affordable repayment plans when an unpaid balance becomes payable.
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation by committing to write to all councils to stress their discretion in offering flexible payment timelines and encouraging affordable repayment plans, but it does not commit to amending existing regulations to enshrine this principle in law.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
13
Recommendation
Second Report - Council Tax Collection
Accepted in Part
In preparation for this review, we recommend that the Government start to collect the necessary data, so that it has a strong evidence base on which to make a decision, and that it keep us updated on the progress of the review. In the meantime, it should require all local …
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In preparation for this review, we recommend that the Government start to collect the necessary data, so that it has a strong evidence base on which to make a decision, and that it keep us updated on the progress of the review. In the meantime, it should require all local authorities only to employ enforcement agencies registered with the Enforcement Conduct Board. (Paragraph 65) Council Tax Collection 37 Date collection
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to update the committee on the upcoming review process, including data collection methodology. While not requiring local authorities to use ECB-registered firms, DLUHC will write to councils encouraging them to use accredited firms.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
15
Recommendation
Second Report - Council Tax Collection
Accepted in Part
The Government should not wait for local authorities to approach the Cabinet Office to learn how they can make better use of data sharing, but instead create an environment where this happens easily and consistently. We recommend that: • an application for universal credit automatically trigger an application for local …
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The Government should not wait for local authorities to approach the Cabinet Office to learn how they can make better use of data sharing, but instead create an environment where this happens easily and consistently. We recommend that: • an application for universal credit automatically trigger an application for local council tax support; • the memorandum of understanding between HMRC and DWP be reviewed so that council teams can share relevant benefits data with their council tax teams; • the Digital Economy Act pilots be rolled out more widely; and • the Government consider further ways of enabling and encouraging greater data sharing between different groups for the purpose of identifying residents who are at risk of falling into council tax arrears; this may require the Information Commissioner’s Office either to clarify the relevant provisions of its data-sharing code of practice, or to raise awareness of it within local government, if there is evidence of an overly cautious approach being taken to data sharing within local authorities.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation for universal credit applications to automatically trigger local council tax support applications due to potential bureaucracy. However, it outlines ongoing and planned actions to improve data sharing between DWP and councils, including increasing the scope of MOUs, delivering data improvements, …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government