Dear Helen Hoddinott

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, which was received by
Vale of White Horse District Council on 7 February 2024.

Please accept this email as confirmation that your request has been
received and is being considered by the relevant department and that a
response will be sent to you within 20 working days, subject to the
information not being exempt and subject to any need for clarification.

The deadline for this will be 6 March 2024

The reference number for this request is Vale 23/1012

I trust that this email is sufficient to assure you that your request is
being dealt with. However, should you have any queries in the meantime,
please do not hesitate to contact the Information Governance team at
[1][Vale of White Horse District Council request email].

Kind regards

Information Governance Team

Legal & Democratic Services

Vale of White Horse District Council

[2]www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

To find out more about how the council holds, uses and stores your
personal data, please click on the link below

[3]Vale of White Horse District Council Privacy Notices

show quoted sections

Dear Helen Hoddinott

Thank you for your Freedom of Information requests, which were received by
both South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District
Council, logged under FOI 23/1208 South and 23/1012 Vale. Please note
that the two councils operate as a shared service hence this joint
response.  

Under Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 2000 Act) you
are entitled to be informed in writing whether the council holds the
information specified in your request and, if that is the case, to have
that information communicated to you unless any of the statutory
exemptions apply. I have considered your request and can confirm we do
hold some of the information asked and I do not believe any of the
statutory exemptions apply to your request. Please find below the
information you requested (where available): 

I would please like to request the following information: 

1) In the financial years 21/22, 22/23 and 23/24 (Up to 07.02.24), could
you please provide me with the total monetary value of council-related
debts (such as council tax, parking fines, failures to pay business rates
and housing arrears) which were referred to external enforcement
agencies? 

  2021/22  2022/23  Apr 2023 – 7 Feb 24 
  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC 
Council £2,611,061  2,174,976  £4,804,672  5,053,229  £2,915,266  698,299 
Tax 
Business No data No data No data No data 1,252,246  1,683,258 
Rates  held  held  held  held 
Parking  £ £ £ £ £ £
49,440.00  24,395.56  57,350.00  39,485.00  60,413.00  26,626.00 
South Oxfordshire District Council is a LSVT Authority (Large Scale
Voluntary Transfer Authority). The housing stock was transferred to
SOHA in July 1997.  Vale of White Horse District Council is also a
Rent LSVT Authority (Large Scale Voluntary Transfer Authority). The
Arrears   housing stock was transferred to Vale Housing Association under a
LSVT in February 1995. Vale Housing Association merged with
Sovereign Housing in 2007 and has subsequently come together with
Network Homes to become SNG (Sovereign Network Group). 

2) Of this figure, please could you provide the amount that was recovered
by external debt agencies broken down for each of the financial
years referenced? 

  2021/22  2022/23  Apr 2023 – 7 Feb
24 
  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC 
Council £641,814  £553,094  £1,100,236  £1,157,699  £448,447  £342,717 
Tax 
Business No data No data No data No data £354,768  £314,121 
Rates  held  held  held  held 
Parking  N/A  N/A  N/A  N/A  £672.00  £252.00 
Rent N/A 
Arrears  

3) For each of those financial years, please provide the number of
complaints the council has received about the conduct of external bailiffs
and debt collectors. 

  2021/22  2022/23  Apr 2023 – 7 Feb
24 
  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC  SODC  VoWHDC 
Council Tax  0  0  0  0  0  0 
Business No data No data No data No data 0  0 
Rates  held  held  held  held 
Parking  N/A  N/A  N/A  N/A  Zero  Zero 
Rent N/A 
Arrears  

Please treat this as the councils’ formal response under the 2000 Act.  If
you are not satisfied with the decision I have made in response to your
request, you can make a request for an internal review by emailing
[1][email address] and [2][Vale of White Horse District Council request email]  within 40 working
days from the date we issued our response. If you remain dissatisfied
after following that procedure, you have the right under Section 50 of the
2000 Act to complain to the Information Commissioner if you feel the
council has not dealt with your request properly. You can contact the
Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
(telephone number: 0303 123 1113). You can also find further information
at [3]www.ico.org.uk. 
Kind regards

Information Governance Team

Legal & Democratic Services

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils

01235 422400

[4]www.southoxon.gov.uk

[5]www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

To find out more about how the councils hold, use and store your personal
data, please click on the appropriate link:

[6]South Oxfordshire District Council  [7]Vale of White Horse District
Council

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

From: Helen Hoddinott <[email address]>
Sent: 07 February 2024 09:26
To: FOI South <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Council use of enforcement
agencies for debt-collecting
 
**EXTERNAL**

To whom it may concern,

I would please like to request the following information:

1) In the financial years 21/22, 22/23 and 23/24 (Up to 07.02.24), could
you please provide me with the total monetary value of council-related
debts (such as council tax, parking fines, failures to pay business rates
and housing arrears) which were referred to external enforcement agencies?

2) Of this figure, please could you provide the amount that was recovered
by external debt agencies broken down for each of the financial years
referenced?

3) For each of those financial years, please provide the number of
complaints the council has received about the conduct of external bailiffs
and debt collectors.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] should
any aspect of my request require clarification.

Yours faithfully, and many thanks,

Helen Hoddinott

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