Issue - meetings

(Please note that there are pre-decision scrutiny recommendations in this report.)

Report FSD16006

The Committee received a report on the performance of the Revenues Service provided by Liberata for the period 1^st April to 30^th September 2015. A letter from Liberata’s Contract Director, Amanda Inwood-Field, was included with the report, and she attended the meeting with other senior managers from Liberata.

The Committee discussed whether payments by credit card should attract a charge to reflect the higher commission charges. Some Members were concerned that this placed an additional burden on the poor, but it was accepted that the charge was necessary to cover the Council’s costs and would drive some people to switch to paying by cheaper methods. 

RESOLVED that

(1) The information contained in the report be noted.

(2) The Resources Portfolio Holder be recommended -

(i)  to introduce charges on payments made corporately via credit card with effect from 1^st April 2016, with authority delegated to the Director of Finance to vary the rate from an initial rate of 2.25%;

(ii)  to agree in principle that charges be introduced on credit card payments made via the Parking and Adult Education systems, with the final decision delegated to the relevant Chief Officers following a cost/benefit appraisal; and

(iii) to consider the introduction of a £70 Council Tax penalty for failure to notify the Authority or to supply information as described in section 3.7 of the report and bring forward proposals at the earliest opportunity.