Councillors and Council Tax Arrears
Hello,
I'm writing to you in the hope of obtaining information relating to the number of reminder letters and summons sent to elected councillors in your authority area since 2015/16.
I'd prefer to receive the information in Excel spreadsheet - xlsx or xls - format and if you cannot provide the information in full, I would like to request that you provide as much as you are able to within the cost and time limits of the Act.
If you need clarification or can suggest ways in which the request can be refined in order for it to be successful, I'd be grateful if you could contact me as soon as possible.
Please note that there is precedent for councillors to be named in relation to this issue - the High Court ruled in March 2015 that they should not have their identities protected when it comes to non-payment of council tax.
I'd like to know the following:
1. How many unpaid council tax reminders were sent to councillors elected in your authority between 2015/16 and 2017/18? Please break down by financial year?
2. How many councillors were summonsed to court or given summary warrants in the same period? Again, please break down by financial year.
3a. How many reminders were issued to the councillors named? Please break down by year.
3b. For each instance, please provide the name of each councillor, the party they represent or represented at the time and the amount of council tax owed according to sums requested in the letter. Please also provide the amount of council tax that remains outstanding.
3c. Please also state for each councillor, whether they were barred from voting on the council's budget as a result of their council tax arrears and whether any summons received resulted in a court hearing going ahead.
I'd be grateful if you could provide the information for questions 1 and 2 as totals for your authority and present the rest of the information within a spreadsheet with the following columns:
Financial Year - Authority Name - Councillor Name - Party - No of Reminders - No of Summons - Amount Owed According to Reminders - Court Hearing Y/N - Outcome of Hearing - Banned from Voting Y/N - Current Sum Outstanding
Yours faithfully,
Joanna Morris
Dear Joanna Morris,
I acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information request and will liaise with the relevant Department in order to provide a response.
We will endeavour to provide this information within 20 working days.
Yours faithfully,
Information Governance Team / Tîm Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Legal Section, The General Offices, Steel Works Road, Ebbw Vale, South Wales NP23 6DN
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Blaenau Gwent
Mae'r Adain Gyfreithiol, Y Swyddfeydd Cyffredinol, Heol Gwaith Dur, Glyn Ebwy NP23 6DN
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiarth yn Gymraeg a saesneg a byddwn yn cyfathrebu gyda chi yn eich dewis iaith, dim ond I chi rhoi gwybod I ni pa un sydd well gennych. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in Welsh and English and we will communicate with you in the language of your choice, as long as you let us know which you prefer. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.
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Information Commissioner’s Office - Wales
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Email: [email address]
Hi Joanna,
Further to your Freedom of Information request I can confirm the following
information
1. How many unpaid council tax reminders were sent to councillors
elected in your authority between 2015/16 and 2017/18? Please break down
by financial year?
1 reminder in 2015, 3 reminders issued in 2016, 4 reminders in 2017, 3
reminders in 2018 were issued in total.
2. How many councillors were summonsed to court or given summary warrants
in the same period? Again, please break down by financial year.
1 summons issued in 2015 to Lisa Winnett no further summons were issued
to any Councillor in the financial years 2016, 2017,2018
3a. How many reminders were issued to the councillors named? Please break
down by year.
1 reminder was issued in 2015, 2 reminders in 2016, 3 reminders in 2017, 2
reminders in 2018
3b. For each instance, please provide the name of each councillor, the
party they represent or represented at the time and the amount of council
tax owed according to sums requested in the letter. Please also provide
the amount of council tax that remains outstanding.
Lisa Winnett (Welsh Labour) reminder 2015 £116.50
Summons
£1,084.50
Reminder 2016
£66.97
Reminder 2016
£133.41
Reminder 2016
£186.00
Reminder 2017
£163.88
Reminder 2017
£164.98
Reminder 2017
£124.98
Reminder 2018
£108.58
Reminder 2018
£127.29
Jonathan Millard (Independent) reminder 2017 £167.45
Keith Hayden (Welsh Labour) reminder 2018 £72.14
3c. Please also state for each councillor, whether they were barred from
voting on the council's budget as a result of their council tax arrears
and whether any summons received resulted in a court hearing going
ahead.
No councillors were barred from voting on the Councils budget.
Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to
contact me.
Kind Regards,
Karen Williams
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg a Saesneg a byddwn yn
cyfathrebu gyda chi yn eich dewis iaith, dim ond i chi rhoi gwybod i ni pa
un sydd well gennych. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in Welsh and English and we will
communicate with you in the language of your choice, as long as you let us
know which you prefer. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg, Saesneg neu yn y ddwy
iaith. Byddwn yn cyfathrebu â chi yn ôl eich dewis. Ni fydd gohebu yn
Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
Mae'r neges ebost hon, ynghyd ag unrhyw ffeiliau sydd ynghlwm wrthi, yn
gyfrinachol ac at ddefnydd yr unigolyn neu sefydliad y cyfeiriwyd hi ato.
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