Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Should Haringey Council Make More Use of Charging for Services?
Many of you will have seen the news item in the national press this week about a recent report published by the Audit Commission. The report investigated councils' use of their powers to charge for services.
An interesting question. My view is that we should be alert to how Haringey Council is and will perform in this respect. To keep us informed, I have reproduced abstratced headlines from the report below. A two page text document attatched below provides the full text for these abstracts. The full report can be accessed at National Audit Commision - Positively Charged.
ABSTRACTS
Abstract 1 from Recommendations
Councils should:
- Undertake regular reviews of their approaches to charging, both within service areas and across the whole council.
- Engage service users and taxpayers more in decisions about whether and at what level to charge for services.
- Collect and use information on service usage and the take-up of concessions, and examine the impact of charges on individual households, to assess whether their equality and diversity objectives have been achieved.
Abstract 2 from Questions for Councillors
-What do we want to achieve?
-What’s the current picture?
-What do local people think of our charges?
An interesting question. My view is that we should be alert to how Haringey Council is and will perform in this respect. To keep us informed, I have reproduced abstratced headlines from the report below. A two page text document attatched below provides the full text for these abstracts. The full report can be accessed at National Audit Commision - Positively Charged.
ABSTRACTS
Abstract 1 from Recommendations
Councils should:
- Undertake regular reviews of their approaches to charging, both within service areas and across the whole council.
- Engage service users and taxpayers more in decisions about whether and at what level to charge for services.
- Collect and use information on service usage and the take-up of concessions, and examine the impact of charges on individual households, to assess whether their equality and diversity objectives have been achieved.
Abstract 2 from Questions for Councillors
-What do we want to achieve?
-What’s the current picture?
-What do local people think of our charges?
Tags for Forum Posts: auditcommission, charges, council, report
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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An open letter to Leader of the Council, George Meehan, on this issue:
Dear Councillor Meehan,
In the light of the recently published Audit Commission Report, "Positively Charged", I would be grateful if you could provide me with the following information about Haringey Council’s policy and practice on charging for services:
1. What is Haringey Council’s policy on charging for services? For which services have charges been introduced over the past five years? What objectives have these new charges sought to support?
2. What is your policy on consulting ratepayers and service users on the introduction of charging for services? What has been your record in this respect with regards to any charges you have introduced over the past five years?
This is an open letter, published on the Harringay Community website. I am keen to receive your reply so that I can inform site members on this issue.
Hugh etc
Hewitt Road, N8
I'm getting a bit fond of open letters and thought another was appropriate in this case. Let's see if this, or the other, as yet unanswered, letter to Haley, get any decent response.
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Permalink Reply by PeterPiper on
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I look forward to reading the reply you get from Councillor Meehan, just as much as I'm waiting to see the reply you get from Councillor Haley.
Before we discuss whether or not Haringey Council makes more use of it's charging policies for services, we need to know as you say in your letter, item 1, just what are they doing at present?
BTW my street has had the new CPZ times up for the past 2 days, so all estimates of November, December or February, turn out to be January. They do like to keep us guessing & on our toes don't they?
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