At the meeting of Brighton & Hove Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission, the Chair of the Commission, Cllr  Gill Mitchell, proposed that a report be drawn up into a perceived change of policy in relation to the collection of council tax from people who are in arrears.  The proposal was supported by all members present and will be brought to a subsequent meeting.  This could be as soon as October.
 
Councillor  Gill Mitchell said:
“We fully believe that people should pay their required amount of Council Tax however, from councillor’s casework enquiries and anecdotal evidence it would seem that the council is now adopting a far more harsh approach to the collection of debt far earlier in the process.
 
"The Commission wants to satisfy itself that people are being treated fairly and given the all the help and advice that they need.  It is important that the circumstances of individuals are taken into account and we want to see how this is being done.”
 
Councillor Paul Elgood, who supported the proposals said:
"Whilst the council clearly has a duty to maximize council tax income, since the change of policy more cases are coming up where people feel unfairly treated. The use of recovery methods should only be used as a very final resort and in rare cases, especially in the current economic climate. Instead the council needs better dialogue with residents who are in arrears to exhaust all possible options first."