Thank you for contacting the City of Bradford Metropolitan District
Council Corporate Information Governance Team.  We confirm that we have
received your correspondence.

 

If you have submitted a Freedom of Information or Environmental
Information Regulation request – we will respond to your request in
accordance with the appropriate legislation (20 working days). 

 

If we require further information from you before we process your request,
we will contact you directly to ask for this. 

 

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018.  If you would like further information please click
on the following link: [1]Privacy notice | Bradford Council

                                              

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Dear J Carter

 

I refer to your request dated 12th October 2023 under the Freedom of
Information Act asking to supply the following information:

 

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)

 

Response

•         Parking Fines (PCNs)

Bradford Council in-house parking Services Team as well as external
enforcement agencies CDER and Jacobs for debt recovery that has reached
that stage in the process.

 

•         Council Tax

Internal enforcement agents are used as well as 4 external enforcement
agencies. These are CDER, Jacobs and Newlyn and Marstons. We use Wilkin
Chapman for cases passed for charging order and Bankruptcy

 

•         Business Rates (NDR)

We use both internal and external Enforcement Agents. The contract for EA
services for business rates is the same contract as that for Council Tax.
However for business rates purposes only CDER & Jacobs are used. For legal
services we utilise Greenhalgh Kerr and ASW Solicitors.

 

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)

 

Response

•         Parking Fines (PCNs)

◦ 2021/22:  8473
◦ 2022/23:  6005
◦ 2023 to date: 0

 

•         Council Tax

◦ 2021/22:  10,469
◦ 2022/23:  7,734
◦ 2023 to date: 4,427

 

This is the number of initial Enforcement Agent visits (The need for an EA
to go to the property). The numbers will also include the same cases that
may have been recycled to other EA's e.g previously not engaged so need to
go out again at different time.

 

•         Business Rates (NDR)

◦ 2021/22:  431
◦ 2022/23:  695
◦ 2023 to date: 301

 

 

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)

 

Response

•         Parking Fines (PCNs)

◦ External EA contract for all external EA companies- 03/01/2023 -
31/12/2028 (3 years with the option to extend by 2 x 12-month periods)

 

•         Council Tax

◦ External EA contract for all 4 external EA companies- 03/01/2023 -
31/12/2028 (3 years with the option to extend by 2 x 12-month periods)

◦ Wilkin Chapman contract - Contract started 01/08/2022. It runs
for 3 years with options to extend by a further two 12 month
periods.

 

•         Business Rates (NDR)

 

◦ External EA contract for all 4 external EA companies- 03/01/2023 -
31/12/2028 (3 years with the option to extend by 2 x 12-month periods)

 

 

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 (Road Traffic)

•         Revenues and Benefits

 

Response

•         Parking (Road Traffic)

No, we use in house staff for processing all parking services work until a
fine reaches the enforcement stage and then we use CDER and Jacobs.

 

•         Revenues and Benefits:

 

No, they are not outsourced

 

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

 

Response

•         Parking:

Noreen Akhtar, Assistant Director, Neighbourhoods and Community Services

 

•         R&B

Council Tax - Robbie Parker, Council Tax Manager

Business Rates Manager

 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, if you are not
satisfied with the reply to your request you can ask for an internal
review.

 

A request for an internal review must be submitted within 40 working days
in writing to the Corporate Information Governance Team, City of Bradford
Metropolitan District Council, City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1
1HY or by emailing [Bradford City Council request email].

 

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review you
have the right of appeal to the Information Commissioner who can be
contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 0303 123 1113 URL: [1]www.ico.org.uk.  

 

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018. The Council takes its responsibilities under the Act
very seriously. 

 

To find out more on how we handle your information, please click on the
following link: [2]https://www.bradford.gov.uk/privacy-notice

 

Regards

 

Giles Whistlecraft

Information Governance Officer

Finance, IT & Procurement Service

Telephone Number: 01274 434506

 

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Department of Corporate Resources

City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1HY

 

This email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly. If this email has been misdirected, please
notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you
must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the
information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted
immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any
software viruses, any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain
viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should
therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any
documents. Bradford Council will not accept any liability for damage
caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this email. Emails may be subject to recording and/or
monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/privacy-notice