Issue - meetings

To submit the final report of the Scrutiny Outcome Panel on debt management.

It was resolved:

·        To approve the Final Report together with its 3 main conclusions and 8 individual recommendations.

·        That the Head of Function (Resources) report back to the Executive in September, 2016 on progress specifically with regard to responding to recommendations 1.3 and 2.2 of the Final Report.

The final report of the Scrutiny Outcome Panel of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee which was tasked with examining in greater detail, debt write-offs and the management of debt within the Authority was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor R. Meirion Jones, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Panel and Chair also of the Scrutiny Outcome Panel reported on the work of the Panel along with its findings and conclusions and the recommendations emanating therefrom. He said that the Corporate Scrutiny Committee had endorsed the report at its meeting held on 11 April, 2016 and that it would review the progress made within six months. The Interim Scrutiny Manager highlighted the recommendations in relation to the draft Policy document on debt management.

The Portfolio Member for Finance said that the situation with regard to managing debt is improving and that work to ensure further improvement is ongoing.  He referred specifically to recommendation 1.3 (Head of Resources to ensure there is a strategy in place to improve income collection levels by introducing changes to current collection methods) and suggested it would be appropriate to request the Head of Resources to report back to the Executive in September, 2016 on progress thereon; likewise with regard to recommendation 2.2 (Develop an anti-poverty strategy to form an integral part of the Authority’s debt management arrangements), the Head of Resources be asked to provide a progress report within the same timescale which would coincide with the Scrutiny Committee’s intended six month review.

The Head of Resources reported on the work underway to update the Authority’s income collection systems. The Officer said that a composite report covering progress on work in the short term to promote the take-up of advance payments as well as work for the longer term on connecting the payment system to the CRM system and on developing a strategy for delivering the changes as well as linking the debt management policy to other policies and work streams within the Authority will be brought to the Executive in September.

It was resolved:

•           To approve the Final Report together with its 3 main conclusions and 8 individual recommendations.

•           That the Head of Function (Resources) report back to the Executive in September, 2016 on progress specifically with regard to responding to recommendations 1.3 and 2.2 of the Final Report.