Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Finance Manager seeking approval of a new Debt Management Policy for the Council.

To approve the Debt Management Policy.

Consideration was given to a report by the Finance Manager and associated Debt Management Policy, (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book), seeking approval of a new Debt Management Policy for the Council. Executive Councillors were advised that the policy provided a controlled, concise and more consistent Policy to ensure the minimisation of debts and collection of rates are maximised by way of a consistent approach. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

that the Debt Management Policy be approved and adopted.

Members are to receive the Debt Management Policy.

With the aid of a report by the Finance Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Debt Management Policy was presented to the Panel.

Following the question of when will the Policy be implemented, the Panel were informed that once the Policy is approved by Cabinet it will get implemented.

A Member asked that once the Policy is in place would the Council act more harshly than before and there would there be the flexibility to act on a case by case basis. In response the Panel was informed that under the Policy, the Council will have the option to offer payment through instalments in certain cases.

In response to a concern that debt will be written off and that the Council will not have a record of it, Members were informed that there is a procedure in place to manage debt before reaching the Section 151 Officer to be written off (or the Executive Councillor for Strategic Resource in the case of debt over £5k).

In regards to when the debt is written off, the Panel were content with the explanation that debt is normally written off for accounting purposes and that a record of the debt is kept.

(At 8.20pm, during the discussion of this item, Councillors M Francis and M F Shellens left the meeting.)

(At 8.22pm, during the discussion of this item, Councillor M F Shellens returned to the meeting.)

(At 8.25pm, during the discussion of this item, Councillor M Francis returned to the meeting.)