Friday, 10 November 2017

Fairer treatment for those in Council Tax arrears after Brent sign Citizens Advice protocol

The Brent CAB Team
Brent Citizens Advice Bureau has announced that Brent Council and its Council Tax collection enforcement agencies, Equita and Capita, to the Citizens Advice Bureau Council Tax Protocol.

The protocol if followed will ensure fairer and timely treatment of those who fall into arrears:
Council tax payers receive a better level of service when local authorities, enforcement agencies and debt advice agencies work closely together.  Early intervention and proactive contact with people struggling with bill payments can help prevent them incurring further charges and help alleviate stress. It can also potentially help reduce both collection costs and calls on local public services, particularly mental health services.
The full protocol is here:


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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10 November 2017 at 18:32

    Great news, but will all the Temporary Workers and ones that inhabit Council Tax and Housing Benefit services, actually read the guidelines.
    Be instructed on how to implement the guidelines and follow through. Here lies key, any idiot can sign up to a protocol!! Implementation, Execution and Delivery is what is required.

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    Replies
    1. Martin Francis10 November 2017 at 18:56

      Agree - paper policies are worthless without training and monitoring.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous10 November 2017 at 18:34

    We live in hope. The fact the Council signed up to this is all well and good. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating". Will they actually do what they have signed up for. We will see.

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  3. Scott11 November 2017 at 13:51

    We will beg to see if the signatures mean anything. Brent Labour stated their last manifesto was a contract - and they all signed that - despite breaking it multiple times.

    ReplyDelete