Hexham Bid collection

The request was successful.

Dear Northumberland County Council,
Please provide details on the following:

1. How much was collected under the Hexham Bid Levy that was not distributed to Hexham Bid Limited.

2. Whether these funds will (or have been) forwarded to Hexham Bid Limited

3. Whether these funds remain in the care of Northumberland County Council.

3. Have these funds been allocated or used for any other purpose?

4. What are the plans for the distribution, return or allocation of these funds?

Yours faithfully,

Neville Johnson

Northumberland County Council

1 Attachment

Our Ref: 5428  

Dear Enquirer,

INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information which will be dealt with under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

If you have any queries about this matter please contact us. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind regards

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

Northumberland County Council

1 Attachment

Our Ref: 5428

Date: 25 January 2019

Dear Enquirer,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

I refer to your Freedom of Information request in relation to the Hexham
Bid Levy.

Right of Access

Section 1(1) of the Act provides any person making a request for
information to a public authority is entitled.

(a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds
information of the description specified in the request (which Section
1(6) of the Act designates as the "duty to confirm or deny"), and

(b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.

The right is to obtain access to the information itself and not to the
document or record which contains it.

The Act creates a general right of access to information held by public
authorities subject to various exemptions.

Northumberland County Council confirms that it holds the information you
have requested, please see the following information in response.

Q1. How much was collected under the Hexham Bid Levy that was not
distributed to Hexham Bid Limited?

A1. There is £9,197.01 of the collected levy not distributed to the Hexham
BID Ltd.

Q2. Whether these funds will (or have been) forwarded to Hexham Bid
Limited

A2. The Council made staged payments to Hexham BID Ltd up until October
2017, the Hexham BID Board sought to terminate the bid in December 2017
and as such the final payment due to the BID for 2017/18 was retained by
the Council. This funding will be added to any funds the Local Authority
receives on completion of the Hexham BID termination process to enable the
BID revenue account to be reconciled as required under legislation.

Q3. Whether these funds remain in the care of Northumberland County
Council.

A3. The funds are held in the Hexham BID Revenue Account by the Council.

Q4. Have these funds been allocated or used for any other purpose?

A4. No, the funds cannot be allocated or used for any other purpose.

Q5. What are the plans for the distribution, return or allocation of these
funds?

A5. The following processes need to conclude before the plans are
finalised:

· The BID Company accounts need to be finalised

· The BID company is wound up and residual monies returned to the BID
Revenue Account

· The BID Revenue Account must be reconciled and legitimate costs deducted

· The final sum must be returned to eligible businesses in line with BID
legislation

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request an internal review by writing within 2 months
from the date of this response to the Information Governance Office:

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF

Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]

Information Commissioner

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right by Section 50 of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545 745
Email: [email address]

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

FOI Coordinator - Revenues & Benefits
Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk