Undefended/Bulk Liability Orders = Extortionate Costs

Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 / Environmental Information
Regulations (EIR) 2004 / Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018

Thank you for your information request which is being dealt with under the
terms of the relevant legislation.

FOI and EIR requests will be answered within twenty working days. EIR
requests may require an extension of time to 40 working days where the
complexity and volume of the information requested means that it is
impracticable either to comply with the request within the earlier period
or to make a decision to refuse to do so.

GDPR and Data Protection Act - Subject Access Requests will be answered
within 1 month, unless the request is a complex one requiring the Council
to extend the deadline for up to 3 months. Other requests under the DPA
will be answered within 10 working days.

If you have any queries about this request please contact us via [Horsham
District Council request email] quoting the reference number in the
subject line of this email.

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Team

Dear Ms Flemming

Freedom of Information Act 2000 Response

Further to our acknowledgement we can now respond to your request for
information dated 05/02/2019 asking about Undefended/Bulk Liability Orders
= Extortionate Costs.

We have dealt with your request in accordance with ‘your right to know’
under section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), which
entitles you to be provided with a copy of any information ‘held’ by a
public authority, unless an appropriate exemption applies.

In your email of 05/02/2019 you asked the following questions:

1. Date Of hearing
2. Number of CT Accounts Listed on a Complaint

3. Total Court fee paid

4. length of hearing defended/undefended

5. Number of CT accounts Liability Order made against

6. Total costs awarded to Billing authority

7. Actual cost of preparing for and attending the hearing.

The response to your questions 1-3 and 5-6 is enclosed in the attached
spread sheet and the answers to questions 4 and 7 are below:

4. Length of hearing a) Undefended – 10 - 15 minutes b) Defended 30 to 40
minutes

7. The total costs for preparing and attending the hearing, plus issuing
the subsequent liability orders is £102.50

If you wish to re-use the information supplied for any purpose other than
personal or non-commercial use you will need to make a written application
to the relevant department of the Council or author of the material
concerned.

Any information which you receive which is not subject to Horsham District
Council copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the
person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must
ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party
(non HDC) information.

If you are dissatisfied with this response and wish to request a review of
our decision or make a complaint about how your request has been handled
you should write to The Reviewing Officer, Legal & Democratic Services,
Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1RL or by email to
[Horsham District Council request email]

Your request for internal review should be submitted to us within 40
working days of receipt by you of this response.  Any such request
received after this time will be considered at the discretion of the Legal
Services team.

If having exhausted the review process you are not content that your
request or review has been dealt with correctly, you have the right to
appeal to the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, SK9 5AF.  Further details of this process are available on the
ICO website at www.ICO.org.uk

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

Beccy Salmon

Beccy Salmon SS(Prac)

LGSS Operations Manager  (Horsham)

Revenues and Benefits Service

M: 07392860143

E: [1][email address]

W: [2]www.lgss.co.uk

Please note that the contents of this e-mail, including any attachments thereto, may contain information which is confidential or privileged, and which is solely for the use of the recipient named above. The information contained in this e-mail, and in your reply, may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or other legislation, and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 1DE
+44 (0)300 330 7000
www.northampton.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.lgss.co.uk/