Cllr Zahra Beg on the council’s new approach to collecting tax

Hendon Town Hall and (inset) Zahra Beg, cabinet member for equalities, voluntary and community sector — Hendon Town Hall and (inset) Zahra Beg, cabinet member for equalities, poverty reduction and the voluntary & community sector

As Labour rebuilds Barnet’s finances after years of Conservative neglect, council tax has a critical role to play in ensuring that we can continue to deliver the services we all rely on.

The council that Labour won control of in 2022 had been severely damaged by national and local Conservative misrule.

Over the course of 14 years, the Conservatives cut £100million of central government support from Barnet.

During years of zero interest rates, they failed to invest strategically in council homes or care accommodation, leaving Barnet vulnerable to a homelessness crisis and dependent on expensive outside contractors.

Under the Conservatives, council CCTV failed to work most of the time. Community skips were withdrawn while residents worried about fly tipping. Green spaces were abandoned and left to fester.

One quarter of our income is generated by council tax. If we are to repair the borough and our finances, it must be collected efficiently and effectively.

Effective collection is also fair on those who pay in a timely way, whatever money worries they may be experiencing.

At the same time, we know many late payers are suffering from financial distress caused by the cost-of-living crisis.

And so as we make sure our council tax collection is fair and efficient, we also have to build a system that is sensitive to the struggles residents face.

We are grateful in particular to the Chipping Barnet Foodbank, whose advice and insights have helped us shape changes to our council tax collection policy. They shared with us research which has helped council officers think again about how we carry out this important function.

While our internal review found that Barnet Council was following best practice with regard to collecting council tax, we want to go further to ensure we carry out this function as well as we can.

All our letters that remind residents concerning unpaid council tax – which we have to send out by law – include information and links to how they can access support.

Any partner who we work with to collect council tax debts must be members of the Civil Enforcement Association and the Enforcement Conduct Board and adhere to those organisation’s codes and guidance.

These partners have dedicated support teams who assist those residents who are identified as vulnerable.

Over the last two years, a total of eight complaints have been upheld regarding council tax collection. While this figure is low all these cases have been reviewed so we can learn how to continually improve this service.

We are also helping households in distress who face one-off costs with our resident support fund. Our benefits calculator has helped more than 18,000 residents identify more than £11 million they can claim.

We provide employment training and preparation though our BOOST programme. We promote the Real London Living Wage throughout the borough, helping to ensure that work pays and everyone receives a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. And by delivering 1,000 more council homes we are helping 1,000 more households find safe, secure and affordable housing.

We will continue to work with our foodbanks and the Citizens Advice Bureau, so that we are aware of any families suffering particular difficulties, and residents can be signposted to where they can find help.

Our foodbanks and other anti-poverty advocates have been vital to us improving our council tax collection service. We will look forward to continuing to work together, for the good of all Barnet residents.

Zahra Beg is Barnet Council’s cabinet member for equalities, poverty reduction and the voluntary & community sector

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