Council tax bill - single persons discount

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maddy on March 21, 2011 at 10:00

T

Thanks very much for pointing this out, Ria - I had just dumped the whole thing on a slush pile and would not have noticed the letter. You're right that it should have been far more prominent, or some notification on the actual bill. I bet loads of people won't notice it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 21, 2011 at 10:27

Thanks, Ria and Maddy.

I've just sent the email below to Julie Parker, Director of Corporate Resources. (Copying Joe Goldberg the "cabinet" councillor.)

Can I suggest that, when people spot a problem like this, as well posting on HoL, it would be helpful to email the relevant Council Department directly.

________________________________________________

Subject: Council Tax - Single Occupiers Discount Review

Dear Ms Parker,

Can I please ask you to read the comments posted on Haringey Online community website. [link given]

You'll see that Ria and Maddy Paxman raise concerns about the risk of residents losing their Single Occupiers Council Tax Discount, even though entitled to claim it. They suggest that the information sent out does not give enough prominence to this. They also worry that elderly and vulnerable people may be particularly hit.

 

Thanks for your help.

Alan Stanton

Tottenham Hale ward councillor

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by michaela rourke on March 21, 2011 at 20:22

Also why do I have to pay for a stamp to tell them something they already know?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by rebelrebel on March 21, 2011 at 20:36

I agree with the previous comments.  It also shows, to me and no doubt others, how desperate the Council is - trying to claw back money it isn't even entitled to in many cases.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 21, 2011 at 22:09

Or, alternatively, it might just show that a small team of people who work for the Council know that not everyone living alone always stays that way. And vice versa. And they might want to get the records correct. Either way.

I accept that it's also possible they may not have tackled this task in the best way possible.

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 22, 2011 at 1:30

Anne, yes of course, there are all sorts of ways this "could be seen".

In broad terms, you and rebelrebel seem to agree that it's likely to be a cynical attempt to get money out of people who are entitled to the discount.

You may be right. Or perhaps it may be the opposite: an attempt to prevent people getting a Single Occupiers Discount who do not qualify for it.  Would that also be cynical?

Or perhaps there's an even more neutral explanation: some staff trying to administer a less than fair tax, so it works a bit more fairly.

I'm not writing as a councillor giving the correct explanation. Because right now, I don't know the explanation.  But I am suggesting that before we make a judgment it helps to ask some questions and consider the replies. That's why I wrote earlier to Julie Parker, the Director. Putting - I hope accurately and fairly - the points raised by Ria and Maddy, And asking her to read this discussion thread.

On HoL I've suggested various reasons why I think it's unhelpful to treat "The Council" as a single anonymous entity.

Though of course I frequently do this myself. Especially when I'm feeling especially angry and frustrated about some misguided policy or stupid decision. But that is self-defeating. Isn't the aim to find ways to make improvement both by working with people inside the existing structures who may want to make change, and to challenge those who don't?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John McMullan on March 22, 2011 at 21:25

"Or perhaps there's an even more neutral explanation: some staff trying to administer a less than fair tax, so it works a bit more fairly." - if that's really what they're doing then I have a lot of respect for them. The tax break for "people who prefer their own company" is paid for by the likes of me. I don't mind redistribution but the single occupancy tax break is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the "no occupancy" tax break.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Katy Mendes on March 22, 2011 at 11:50

Thanks for highlighting this, was the first thing I checked when I found my new bill on the doormat last night when I got home. Maybe an "alert" on the actual bill itself would have been useful.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 22, 2011 at 14:27

An Update

----- Original Message -----
From: Corporate Resources
To: Cllr Alan Stanton
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:44 AM
Subject: Acknowledgement Letter - Council Tax - Single Occupiers Discount Review

Thank you for your email received on 21 March 2011. This enquiry has been allocated the reference number LBH/89160. I have asked the appropriate officer to look into the issues you have raised. We will send you a full reply to your enquiry by 04 April 2011.

If you have any questions, please email [us].

Yours sincerely
Complaints Officer

----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Stanton, Tottenham Hale ward councillor
To: Corporate Resources
Cc: Cllr Joe Goldberg; Julie Parker, Director
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 12:27 PM
Subject: Council Tax - Single Occupiers Discount Review

Thanks for the acknowledgement email promising a reply by 4 April.

Can I please ask for an assurance that the person dealing with this matter has read the discussion thread on Harringay Online website?  Also that if the concerns expressed there are considered justified, an assurance that action will be taken to improve the information given to single occupiers who are entitled to the Council Tax discount. I imagine this might even save some money if it avoids having to sort out unclaimed Single Occupier Discount claims, at a later stage, one case at a time.

May I also point out that a delay of two weeks may not be helpful.

Thanks.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on April 13, 2011 at 12:25

P.S. 13 April.

Unfortunately, not an update. But just to let people know that the reply promised by 4 April hasn't yet arrived. So today <very deep sigh> I've chased this again.

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Usually, I'm not keen on management 'gurus'. But, doing some filing, I came across my crumpled old jottings on articles by Peter Drucker. Does anyone still read him? Perhaps we should.

"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things."

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by walter mclaughlin on March 22, 2011 at 18:54

One big reason to stop paying by direct debit.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John D on March 22, 2011 at 21:55

There's an unpleasant smell of paranoia here. I think it very unlikely that the local taxation people are running some fiendish scheme to screw the single occupiers.

The lesson, surely, is if you get a communication from the Council - read it to see what it says. If they had sent out separate letters regarding claiming the discount, people would said that it was a waste of money that they weren't included  with the mailout of the Council Tax bill.  

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page