Enforcement Agency Services
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
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
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 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]
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]
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