Dear Sir/Madam

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 2 November 2018. 

 

We are dealing with your request.  We will issue a full response as soon
as possible but no later than 3 December 2018.   If you have requested
that we respond to you by mail, please allow time for postage.

 

 

 

 

Linda Sturrock

Admin Assistant

Finance Service

Finance and Corporate Resources

South Lanarkshire Council

Council Offices

Almada Street

Hamilton  ML3 0AA

Tel. 01698 454168

e-mail: [1][email address]

Council website: [2]www.southlanarkshire.gcsx.gov.uk

 

show quoted sections

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/

Dear M Logan

 

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)

Request for Information

 

I refer to your information requests received by the Council on 2 November
2018 in which you ask for the following information:

 

1. A copy of any contract, terms and conditions, or any other legally
binding document which has been agreed between the council and Stirling
Park

2. Please tell me the number of complaints received by the council from
SLC residents regarding Stirling Park, please provide a brief summary of
the complaint, e.g. harassment, threatening behaviour, unprofessional
practices, etc

3. If not shown int he documents asked for in (1), please explain your
relationship to Stirling Park, and the services they provide.

4. Please detail the amounts of monies recovered by Stirling Park on
behalf of the council for:

(a) Council Tax arrears, (B)Business Rates arrears, (c)Parking Fines,
(d)any other monies recovered.

5. Please detail any gift, hospitality or any other form of gratuity
received from South Lanarkshire council from Stirling Park, or received by
Stirling Park from the council.

6. Please detail and list all payments the council has made to Stirling
Park, for the services as described in the contract, or for any other
purpose. Please include copies of invoices and payment receipts.

7. Please detail the number of times that the council has had to step in
and contact Stirling Park directly for a resident.

8. Please detail the number of times that a council tax arrears account
has been removed from Stirling Park, back into the council's control and
please state the reasons.

9. Please detail the number of times (if any) that legal action has been
brought against the council or against Stirling Park, which directly
relates to the services that Stirling Park provide to the council.

 

 

Holding the Information

 

The Council has searched its records and has located some of the
information that you have requested.

Request refused in terms of section 17 of FOISA

 

Consequently, the Council cannot give you some of this information because
it does not have it.

 

7. Please detail the number of times that the council has had to step in
and contact Stirling Park directly for a resident.   

 

The Council does not hold this information as a log of such instances is
not kept.

 

8. Please detail the number of times that a council tax arrears account
has been removed from Stirling Park, back into the council's control and
please state the reasons.

 

The Council does not hold this information as a log of such instances is
not kept.

 

Excessive Cost Refusal in terms of section 12 of FOISA

 

The Council will not deal with your following requests in relation to
information that it holds because, if it did so, it would incur excessive
costs. These costs relate to locating, retrieving and providing the
requested information to you.

 

2. Please tell me the number of complaints received by the council from
SLC residents regarding Stirling Park, please provide a brief summary of
the complaint, e.g. harassment, threatening behaviour, unprofessional
practices, etc 

How the costs are calculated

 

The Benefit & Revenue Service has received 641 complaints since 1 January
2015.  There is no unique identifier within our complaints system that
allows us to extract specific complaints about Stirling Park.  Accordingly
to provide the information which you have requested would require an
officer to review individual complaint records to identify those you are
requesting a summary of.  Once identified, work will also be required to
prepare the summary you have requested. 

 

It is estimated that the total cost of providing this information would
cost £704.56.

 

As it would cost the Council over £600 to deal with your request, it does
not have to give the information to you. I have explained how the Council
have calculated the costs in the attached Cost Refusal Note.

 

6. Please detail and list all payments the council has made to Stirling
Park, for the services as described in the contract, or for any other
purpose. Please include copies of invoices and payment receipts.

 

How the costs are calculated

 

 

Stirling Park receive payment from the Council through two separate
processes.  The first process involves Stirling Park retaining their fees
from cash they have collected while carrying out the Debt Management &
Diligence Services Contract before remitting the difference.  Stirling
Park provide the Council with a weekly statement detailing the total cash
collected and the invoiced amount they have retained to cover their fees. 
The second process involves Stirling Park providing the Council with
monthly invoices for their services in relation to both contracts which
are processed through our accounts payable system for direct payments to
be made to Stirling Park.

 

In order to identify all of the relevant invoices, an Officer would have
to manually review the Council’s Oracle FMS Finance system and search
individual financial reporting periods for transactions relating to
Stirling Park.  There are 14 financial periods each year.  The Officer
would be required to identify, extract and print off the specific invoices
relating to both contracts. The Council would have to locate 1,810
invoices specific to your request.

 

Invoices contain details of debtor names, addresses, account numbers, debt
type and amount.  This information is classed as personal data. 
Therefore, this information would have to be redacted on individual
invoices.

 

 

It is estimated that the total cost of providing you this information
would be £3,033.96.

 

As it would cost the Council over £600 to deal with your request, it does
not have to give the information to you. I have explained how the Council
have calculated the costs in the attached Cost Refusal Note.

 

 

Information provided

 

However, the Council can give you some of the information that it has in
relation to your request. This information is as follows:

 

1. A copy of any contract, terms and conditions, or any other legally
binding document which has been agreed between the council and Stirling
Park

 

Copies of requested information is attached.  Please note that signatures
have been redacted.  This is because this information relates to another
person and the disclosure of the information to you would breach the data
protection principles laid down by the General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR)(section 38(1)(b) and (2A) of FOISA)

 

 

3. If not shown int he documents asked for in (1), please explain your
relationship to Stirling Park, and the services they provide.

 

Please see copies attached.

 

 

Stirling Park is the Council’s external debt management contractors who
collect outstanding debt on the Council’s behalf.  Stirling Park is also
contracted to provide Sheriff Officer resources for the serving of legal
paperwork as required by the Council.

 

4. Please detail the amounts of monies recovered by Stirling Park on
behalf of the council for:

(a) Council Tax arrears, (B)Business Rates arrears, (c)Parking Fines,
(d)any other monies recovered.

 

Stirling Park has recovered the following sums on behalf of the Council:

 

Council Tax                             £36.3m

Non Domestic Rates               £1.4m

Parking Fines                          £872k

Other monies                          £1.85m

 

5. Please detail any gift, hospitality or any other form of gratuity
received from South Lanarkshire council from Stirling Park, or received by
Stirling Park from the council.

 

This request is refused in terms of section 17 of FOISA. The Council has
not given any gift, hospitality or any other form of gratuity to Stirling
Park and Stirling Park has not given any gift, hospitality or any other
form of gratuity to the Council.

 

9. Please detail the number of times (if any) that legal action has been
brought against the council or against Stirling Park, which directly
relates to the services that Stirling Park provide to the council.

 

This request is refused in terms of section 17 of FOISA. There have been
no legal actions brought against the Council or against Stirling Park,
which directly relates to the services that Stirling Park provide to the
Council. 

 

Request for Review

 

The Council has a Review Panel to deal with complaints from people who are
not happy about the way that it has handled their request. Staff not
involved in the original decision will handle any review.

 

If you want to complain, you can ask the Review Panel to look at the way
that we have dealt with your request. It will consider whether we have
complied with the requirements of FOISA.  Please note that if you wish to
complain, you must do so by 1 February 2019.  You must explain why you are
not happy when requesting a review.

 

Please note that the Review Panel cannot consider any decisions taken by
the Council or actions of the Council or any of its employees or a service
provided by it that are not connected to the handling of your request for
information.

 

You should send your request for a review to:

            Mr. W. Dunn

            Information Compliance Manager

            Finance and Corporate Resources

            Floor 11

            Council Offices

Almada Street

Hamilton

ML3 0AA

 

Alternatively, you can request a review at
[1][email address].

 

Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner

 

If you are not happy with the outcome of the review, you can appeal to the
Scottish Information Commissioner.  The Commissioner will decide whether
we have dealt with your request properly. Please see the Commissioner’s
website at [2]www.itspublicknowledge.info for further details.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Fiona Wilkie

Revenue Officer

Council Tax Recovery Team

 

Tel: 0303 123 1014

 

Email: [3][email address]

         [4]www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/