Ensuring customers are not subject to unnecessary recovery action, additional costs or hardship

The request was partially successful.

Dear South Ribble Borough Council,

A council taxpayer who owes more than just the current year's liability runs the risk of incurring additional recovery costs through a further application for a liability order if payments which are intended for the current year's liability are allocated by the council's computer to the previous year's liability. This would most likely happen where a non specific payment is made and the computer software is set to automatically allocate these payments to the oldest year's debt.

Councils computer systems have the necessary flexibility to be set to allow non specific payments to be allocated to the arrears or the current year's liability.

I understand that the majority of billing authorities have their computer software set to ensure that their customers are not subject to unnecessary recovery action, additional costs or hardship, i.e. so non specific payments are allocated to the current year's liability.

How does South Ribble Council have its computer software set to deal with non specific payments. Current or oldest year's liability?

Yours faithfully,

Gwyn Worth

Bamber, Andrew, South Ribble Borough Council

3 Attachments

Dear Gwyn,

 

Thank you for your correspondence requesting the above details (original
e-mail included below).  I have supplied the answer to the requested
information below:-

 

1)      How does South Ribble Council have its computer software set to
deal with non specific payments. Current or oldest year's liability?

Oldest years

 

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Ribble Borough Council.

 

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Many Thanks

Andy Bamber

Council Tax Team Leader

South Ribble Borough Council

(: 01772 (62) 5346

.: Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, PR25 1DH

8 : [1]southribble.gov.uk  + : [2][email address]

 [3]cid:image001.png@01D2EBFF.EC79D180 
[4]cid:image002.png@01D2EBFF.EC79D180  [5]cid:image003.png@01D2EBFF.EC79D180

 

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Dear Mr Bamber,

Thank you for stating that South Ribble Council has its computer software set to allocate unmatched payments to the oldest debt.

Would you please confirm whether or not any measures are in place to check that allocating an unmatched payment to the oldest debt in these circumstances would have the consequences of putting the current year's liability also in arrears, and if so, in accordance with R. v Miskin Lower Justices [1953] 1 Q.B. 533, whether the payment would be moved in respect of the current year's account to avoid unnecessary recovery action, additional costs etc.?

Yours sincerely,

Gwyn Worth

Dear Bamber, Andrew,

Will you please acknowledge receipt of my 22 November 2017 request for clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Gwyn Worth