Recommendation 14

We welcome the many initiatives, by local and central government, aimed at improving data sharing, particularly the pilots being carried out under the Digital Economy Act 2017 and the creation of the Office for Local Government; but overall we remain concerned that barriers to data sharing are impeding councils’ efforts to identify vulnerable residents. Being able to identify and engage with residents who are at risk of falling into arrears at an early stage will help to prevent residents from building up problem debt and will also improve collection rates. We are especially concerned that some local authority data protection officers might not fully understand the circumstances in which information concerning vulnerable individuals may be shared between teams.