Court summons over unpaid council tax

The request was partially successful.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to request the following information in accordance with FOI laws:

1) How many court summons and liability orders have been issued by your council for unpaid council tax in the year
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for all of them.

2) How many of these were successful in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019?

3) How many summons and liability orders were issued for late council tax payments of
a) under £50
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019

b) under £30
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

c) under £10
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

4) What was the overall cost in £ to your council for all unsuccessful summons and liability orders made in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
Note, do not include working hours/resources etc in these costs, by costs I refer solely to fees directly arising from the use of the public courts system.
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for all of them.

I look forward to hearing your response!

Yours faithfully,

Jedidajah Otte

Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

This is an automated response to thank you for your email which has just
been received.
 
We aim to respond fully to all emails from the public as soon as possible,
where they are seeking a response.
 
If you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act or
Environmental Information Regulations, there is a 20 working day statutory
timescale within which to provide the information requested, subject to
any exemptions which may apply.  The 20 working day timescale will start
on the first working day following receipt of your email.
 
If you have access to the Internet you may wish to see if your enquiry can
be dealt with online at [1]www.basingstoke.gov.uk.  The council's website
enables many forms to be completed and payments to be made online as well
as providing comprehensive information.
 
Please do not reply to this automated response.
 
Thank you
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Civic Offices

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Hampshire

RG21 4AH

United Kingdom

 

Tel: +44 (0)1256 844844

Fax: +44 (0)1256 845200

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Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
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processed, please see our [2]privacy statement

show quoted sections

Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

3 Attachments

Dear Jedidajah Otte,

 

The information you have requested is available on our website at the link
given below using the search term ‘council tax’:

 

[1]https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/rte.aspx?...

 

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act provides an exemption from
release of information which is considered to be reasonably accessible by
other means. 

 

As the information is reasonably accessible on the council’s website,
disclosure in response to your request is exempt under Section 21 of the
Freedom of Information Act.

 

If you are unhappy with the handling of your request, you have the right
to request an internal review.  If you wish to request an internal review
please write to:

 

The Information Governance Officer, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,
Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4AH.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Sarah Gorvin
Paralegal - Information Governance
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Tel: 01256 845485
[email address]
www.basingstoke.gov.uk
 [2]@BasingstokeGov   [3]@BasingstokeGov

 

From: Laila Devro [mailto:[FOI #590443 email]]
Sent: 18 July 2019 15:26
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Court summons over unpaid
council tax

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to request the following information in accordance with FOI
laws:

1) How many court summons and liability orders have been issued by your
council for unpaid council tax in the year
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

2) How many of these were successful in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019?

3) How many summons and liability orders were issued for late council tax
payments of
a) under £50
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019

b) under £30
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

c) under £10
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

4) What was the overall cost in £ to your council for all unsuccessful
summons and liability orders made in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
Note, do not include working hours/resources etc in these costs, by costs
I refer solely to fees directly arising from the use of the public courts
system.
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

I look forward to hearing your response!

Yours faithfully,

Jedidajah Otte

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FOI #590443 email]

Is [5][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[6]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [9]privacy statement

show quoted sections

Dear Sarah,

I am not satisfied with your response to my request.
You say the information I asked for is available online and sent me a link. It is in no way clear where on the website for which you have sent me a link the information I have requested can be found.

Please provide detailed guidance for where the information relating to my questions is stored on your website, in particular where a list of issued summons incl the requested amount of outstanding council tax, and cases of the court refusing to grant a liability order relating to unpaid council tax, can be found.

Yours sincerely,

Jedidajah Otte

Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

3 Attachments

Dear Jedidajah

 

Thank you for your email.  We do publish previous responses to FOI
requests on our website and my colleague provided you with a link to our
disclosure log where previous requests relating to council tax can be
found.  However, if you are unable to locate the information within your
request, I will formally log it and liaise with our Local Tax Team to
provide a full response to you.

 

The request will be logged using the date of your original request and you
will receive a response within the required 20 working days.

 

You will shortly receive a formal acknowledgement with a reference number.

 

Kind regards.

 

Jackie Tatam
Data Protection Officer
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Tel: 01256 845369
[email address]
www.basingstoke.gov.uk
 [1]@BasingstokeGov   [2]@BasingstokeGov

From: Laila Devro [mailto:[FOI #590443 email]]
Sent: 21 July 2019 09:45
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Court summons over unpaid
council tax

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

show quoted sections

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to request the following information in accordance with FOI
laws:

1) How many court summons and liability orders have been issued by your
council for unpaid council tax in the year
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

2) How many of these were successful in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019?

3) How many summons and liability orders were issued for late council tax
payments of
a) under £50
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019

b) under £30
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

c) under £10
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

4) What was the overall cost in £ to your council for all unsuccessful
summons and liability orders made in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
Note, do not include working hours/resources etc in these costs, by costs
I refer solely to fees directly arising from the use of the public courts
system.
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

I look forward to hearing your response!

Yours faithfully,

Jedidajah Otte

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FOI #590443 email]

Is [5][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email] the wrong
address for Freedom of Information
requests to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[6][5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7][6]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[8][7]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [9]privacy statement

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[8][FOI #590443 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[9]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[10]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [11]privacy statement

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information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly. If this Email has been misdirected, please
notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you
must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the
information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted
immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any
software viruses, any attachments to this Email may nevertheless contain
viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should
therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any
documents. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council will not accept any
liability for damage caused by computer viruses emanating from any
attachment or other document supplied with this e-mail. All GCSx traffic
may be subject to recording and / or monitoring in accordance with
relevant legislation

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Governance, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Dear Jedidajah Otte,

Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

Your request has been passed to me to process and I can confirm that it
has been logged under the reference number 344/19.

The council may take upto 20 working days, from the date of receipt, to
respond to your request. You should therefore receive the information you
have requested, subject to the application of any exemptions we are
permitted to apply, within 20 working days.

If you require further information please contact me by phone on
01256845369 or by emailing [1][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email].

For your information, we are publishing FOI requests and responses on the
council's website [2]www.basingstoke.gov.uk so the response to this
request may be published at a later date.

Yours sincerely
Information Management Officer
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
01256 845369
Email: [3][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [4]privacy statement

show quoted sections

Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

3 Attachments

Dear Jedidajah Otte,

 

Further to your recent request made under the Freedom of Information Act
2000,  please find below the information requested.

 

1)    How many court summons and liability orders have been issued by your
council for unpaid council tax in the year
a) 2016 – 5,457 Summonses & 3,178 Liability Orders
b) 2017 – 5,290 Summonses & 3,547 Liability Orders
c) 2018 – 5,200 Summonses & 3,858 Liability Orders
d) 2019 (so far)? – 1,957 Summonses & 1,217 Liability Orders
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

Please note that in respect of questions 2, 3 (a), 3(b) and 4, section 12
of FOIA 2000 applies to your request in that it exceeds the appropriate
limit of 18 hours.

 

The software used does not have a reporting function to extract the
requested information. The information which you have requested is
therefore subject to a manual search which exceeds the section 12 limit.

 

The manual search would take approximately 1,492 hours to complete. This
has been calculated on the basis that each summons issued would need to be
manually checked. This means 17,904 records would need to be searched, it
would take 5 minutes to search each file for the requested information.

 

2)    How many of these were successful in – This exceeds the appropriate
limit under Section 12 FOIA 2000.
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019?

3) How many summons and liability orders were issued for late council tax
payments of –  This exceeds the appropriate limit under Section 12 FOIA
2000.
a) under £50
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019

b) under £30 - This exceeds the appropriate limit under Section 12 FOIA
2000.
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?
c) under £10 – The minimum debt balance is £20.00 when issuing a summons.
aa) in 2016 - 0
bb) in 2017 - 0
cc) in 2018 - 0
dd) in 2019? - 0

4) What was the overall cost in £ to your council for all unsuccessful
summons and liability orders made in – In addition to the summons and
liability orders, further recovery action may have been taken on each
individual account. To check each individual account would exceed the
appropriate limit under Section 12 FOIA 2000.
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
Note, do not include working hours/resources etc in these costs, by costs
I refer solely to fees directly arising from the use of the public courts
system.
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

 

If you are unhappy with the handling of your request, you have the right
to request an internal review within 40 days of our initial response and
please note that we are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this
date.

 

If you wish to request an internal review please write to:

 

The Data Protection Officer, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic
Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4AH.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

 

Information released under FOI or EIR will be done so in accordance with
the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations under the [1]Open
Government Licence. For further information on how these regulations
affect the data you have requested please refer to our Re-use of Public
Information Regulations Webpage on the link below:

[2]Re-Use of Public Sector Information

For your information, we are publishing FOI requests and responses on the
council’s website so the response to this request may be published at a
later date.  To view published responses please follow the link below:

 

[3]FOI Disclosure Log

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sarah Gorvin
Paralegal - Information Governance
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Tel: 01256 845485
[email address]
www.basingstoke.gov.uk
 [4]@BasingstokeGov   [5]@BasingstokeGov

 

From: Laila Devro [mailto:[FOI #590443 email]]
Sent: 21 July 2019 09:45
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Court summons over unpaid
council tax

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

show quoted sections

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to request the following information in accordance with FOI
laws:

1) How many court summons and liability orders have been issued by your
council for unpaid council tax in the year
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

2) How many of these were successful in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019?

3) How many summons and liability orders were issued for late council tax
payments of
a) under £50
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019

b) under £30
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

c) under £10
aa) in 2016
bb) in 2017
cc) in 2018
dd) in 2019?

4) What was the overall cost in £ to your council for all unsuccessful
summons and liability orders made in
a) 2016
b) 2017
c) 2018
d) 2019 (so far)?
Note, do not include working hours/resources etc in these costs, by costs
I refer solely to fees directly arising from the use of the public courts
system.
If your council is covering several councils/districts, please answer for
all of them.

I look forward to hearing your response!

Yours faithfully,

Jedidajah Otte

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FOI #590443 email]

Is [5][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email] the wrong
address for Freedom of Information
requests to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[6][8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7][9]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[8][10]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [9]privacy statement

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[11][FOI #590443 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[12]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[13]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [14]privacy statement

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This Email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly. If this Email has been misdirected, please
notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you
must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the
information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted
immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any
software viruses, any attachments to this Email may nevertheless contain
viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should
therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any
documents. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council will not accept any
liability for damage caused by computer viruses emanating from any
attachment or other document supplied with this e-mail. All GCSx traffic
may be subject to recording and / or monitoring in accordance with
relevant legislation

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