Enforcement Agency Services

The request was successful.

Dear FOI Team,

I would be most grateful if you would provide me, under the Freedom of Information Act, details in respect to the contracts below please.

The details required are:

Q1. Your current suppliers used to collect the following debts (please give names of all suppliers for each debt type):

• Parking Fines (PCNs)
• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

Q2. Number of cases issued to enforcement agents for each debt type, for the immediate past two financial years and year to date, e.g. 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023 Year to date:

• Parking Fines (PCNs)
• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

Q3. Enforcement/Debt Collection contract start and contract end date, and any contract extension dates for each of the following debt types:

• Parking Fines (PCNs)
• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

Q4. Are your Revenue and Benefits or Parking Services outsourced, and if they are, please state who is the supplier responsible for each or both service e.g. Capita, APCOA, Agilysis, Serco, Liberata etc.

• Parking (RTD)
• Revenues and Benefits

Q5. The name and/or job title of the Senior Office (outside of procurement) responsible for the above contract(s)?
_______________________________________________________________________
Thank you for any assistance you can give.
Yours faithfully
J. Carter

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

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]

 

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Dear J carter

 

Freedom of information request - FOI/8478

 

Subject: FOI - enforcement agency serice

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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

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

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 J carter

Request FOI/8478

Further to your request received on 16/10/2023, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. Specifically, you have requested the following information:

For ease of reference, I will now address each of your questions in turn.
/ The information you have requested is as follows:

Q1. Your current suppliers used to collect the following debts (please
give names of all suppliers for each debt type):

• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

The Council enlist the services of the following Enforcement Agents for
the recovery of outstanding Council Tax and Business Rates debt; Bristow &
Sutor, CDER, Chandlers, Confero, Croydon Enforcement Agents, Equita,
Jacobs, JBW, Marston Holdings, Newlyn, Ross & Roberts Limited and Whyte &
Co

Parking:

Newlyn, CDER, Marston, Whyte & Co, Bristow & Sutor & Chandlers

Q2. Number of cases issued to enforcement agents for each debt type, for
the immediate past two financial years and year to date, e.g. 2021/22;
2022/23; 2023 Year to date:

• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

The London Borough of Croydon is a multi-year billing authority which
means that a Reminder, Summons, Liability Order or an Enforcement Agent
referral that took place in one financial year, may be in relation to
Council Tax and Business Rates arrears for a previous financial year.    

As the London Borough of Croydon is a multi-year billing authority, there
may be more than one Enforcement Agent referral throughout the financial
year, with each referral counted separately. This could be due to a
Liability Order being issued on more than one occasion, or the first
Enforcement Agent referral being unsuccessful and the outstanding Council
Tax debt referred to another Enforcement Agent.

The Council attempts to recover all outstanding Council Tax and Business
Rates debt, although this is not always possible due to the individual or
business having moved away from the local authority area, and not informed
the Council of their forwarding address. 

However, in these instances the Council will attempt to trace the debtor
through agencies such as; Companies House, Credit Reference
Agencies (CRAs), Debt Collection Agencies (DCAs), HM Revenue and Customs
(HMRC) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Parking:

Warrants issued in 2021/22 was 38,169 PCNs & warrants issued in 2022/23
was 47,756

Q3. Enforcement/Debt Collection contract start and contract end date, and
any contract extension dates for each of the following debt types:

• Council Tax
• Business Rates (NDR)

The Council’s contract with Enforcement Agents started in August 2020 .

The Council’s 2 year contract extension with Enforcement Agents ends in
August 2024.

Parking:

Contract which runs to August 2024 

Q4. Are your Revenue and Benefits or Parking Services outsourced, and if
they are, please state who is the supplier responsible for each or both
service e.g. Capita, APCOA, Agilysis, Serco, Liberata etc.

• Revenues and Benefits
They are not outsourced.

Parking:

No

Q5. The name and/or job title of the Senior Office (outside of
procurement) responsible for the above contract(s)?

Head of Payments Revenues Benefits and Debt

Head of Highways and Parking Services

Parking:

Jayne Rusbatch, Head of Highways & Parking Services
 

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]

 

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