Decision details

Purpose of report: The report will present the councils debt policy for approval.

Members are asked to: Approve the councils dept policy at the next full council.

RECOMMENDED:That Council approve the draft Corporate Debt Policy at Annex A to the report, subject to the following amendments:

a)     Removal of disconnection of water supply as a result of not paying the bill, as this is no longer classed as a priority debt;

b)     Amendment of the debt write-off list to reflect that the category of ‘Deceased and Bankrupt’ only applies where there are no assets;

c)      Amendment of the wording at paragraph 45(b) of the draft policy in relation to debt recovery officers attending a customer’s home, to ensure that it sounds supportive rather than threatening, to reflect the intention of the paragraph.

REASON:                  To ensure a consistent, ‘firm but fair’ approach to debt collection, whilst enabling the Council to maximise collection performance, in line with its Income Policy.