Councillor Barry Johnson, Chair of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny committee has set up a working group to look at council tax and other debt collection services at Thurrock Council
He said “Council Tax and other charges are the lifeblood of the Council and it is clear we need to look at the way we are administering and collecting the money used to pay for vital services.
“I have now asked officers to set up a cross party working group to look at all aspects of the way Thurrock bills, collects and recover council tax and other debts.”
Since May, Thurrock Council has issued 50% more reminders, 100% more second reminders and imposed over £1.4million in court costs in an attempt to increase council tax collection alone.
This has led to a slight increase in collection but a huge increase in complaints and the number of debts being put in the hands of the bailiffs. So, although it is good news that the Council has increased its collection rates, it is critical that the Council is following best practice in the way it administers the collection process. The new working group will review all of these issues.
