Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.

DEAR R Hughes

 

Freedom of information request - FOI/7977

 

Subject: Council Tax Hardship Scheme

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

 

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

 

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

Dear R Hughes

Request FOI/7977

Further to your request received on 28/07/2023, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. For ease of reference, I will now address each of your questions in
turn. 

 

On the 6th of April 2023 decisions were made relating to the Council Tax
Hardship Scheme 2023/24. It was decided that: "support is provided as a
council tax reduction in the form of a Locally Defined Discount."  

It was also agreed: "additional staffing to administer this scheme is
prudent and financially viable." Please would you confirm numbers of
additional staffing that are now working to administer the scheme and
dates they began working on the scheme.

No additional staff have been working on the administering of the scheme.

 

Please confirm the below information using the date period 01.06.23 -
28.07.23:

How many Hardship Scheme applications have been received since the scheme
launched, How many have been successful How many are pending

As at 15/08/23, received 359, successful (have been awarded) 134, pending
43. 

 

Please confirm the numbers of people who have been sent a court summons
for council tax 2023/24 arrears: For periods : 01.04.23 - 06.06.23 and
06.06.23 - 28.07.23.

For the current financial year, 2023/24, covering the period 1 April 2023
to 15 August 2023, 10,255 Council Tax accounts have received a Council Tax
court summons.

Please note, the London Borough of Croydon is a multi-year billing
authority which means that a Reminder, Summons or Liability Order that was
issued in one financial year, may be in relation to Council Tax arrears
for a previous financial year.    

 

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[1]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

 

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act, you may ask for an internal review.
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response.
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

 

Email:        [2][Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon

Bernard Weatherill House

Floor 7 - Zone B

8 Mint Walk

Croydon, CR0 1EA

 

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

 

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,

 

Information Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

Bernard Wetherill House,

Mint Walk,

Croydon,

CR0 1EA

 

 

[3][Croydon Borough Council request email]

[4][email address]

 

References

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1. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/
2. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]
3. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]
4. mailto:[email address]