Agenda and draft minutes

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The Chair referred Members present to Agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda front sheet, in respect of filming at meetings, and Members noted the information therein.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no items of urgent business.

Cllr Connor declared a personal interest in relation to agenda items 5 & 8. Cllr Connor advised that she was a signatory to an open letter published by Acorn in relation to asking the Council to end its use of private sector enforcement agents to collect Council Tax debt.

Cllr Connor advised the Committee that she was approaching the deputation and the report listed at agenda item 8 with an open mind.  

The Panel received a deputation from Haringey Acorn in relation to the Council’s use of private sector enforcement agents to collect outstanding Council Tax debt. The deputation party were Eleanor Whitlock (lead signatory), Owen Kennedy, Elizabeth Cabeza, Kyra Carty and Reuben Bard-Rosenberg. The key points of their deputation is summarised below:

·         The deputation party asked the Committee to scrutinise bailiff use across the borough. Acorn believe that the Council should commit to end use of private bailiffs to collect Council Tax debt and should commit to finding a new approach.

·         Acorn started campaigning in 2022 for an end to the use of private sector bailiffs and are now campaigning on the issue nationally. A number of Council’s have changed their policies.

·         It was suggested that there were three main issues with Haringey’s approach:

1.    Using bailiffs was an aggressive and intimidating way to collect Council Tax debt. Citizens Advice Bureau estimated that one-third of people who interacted with bailiffs were subject to behaviour that broke the law. 60% of people reported intimidation  or harassment. It was contended that, therefore, use of bailiffs likely increased pressures on other public bodies, such as mental health services.

2.    Using private bailiffs to collect Council Tax debt did not improve people’s ability to manage their finances or help Council’s maximise their Council Tax income. Bailiffs added charges, compounding residents ability to pay. Policy in Practice found no correlation between bailiff use and Council Tax collection rates across London boroughs.

3.    Private bailiff companies were not incentivised to improve payment rates in the long term. They made money from levying additional charges on residents and always paid themselves first. It was suggested that if bailiffs actually managed to get residents to better manage their debts, they would go out of business. It was claimed that the introduction of the Ethical Debt Policy reduced the use of bailiffs slightly, however it had failed to significantly lower the use of bailiffs in the borough. It was suggested that last year bailiffs received nearly 9000 Council Tax cases in Haringey and that this equated to almost one-in-ten households in the borough.

·         It was asserted that the poorest, most deprived and ethnically diverse wards in the borough such as Tottenham Green and Northumberland Park were four times more likely to receive a call from a bailiff that the most affluent wards in the borough.

·         Twenty community groups, trade union representatives and local councillors had signed Acorn’s open letter to the Council asking it to ban the use of private debt collection agencies.

·         Acorn set out that the Council did not seem to have a clear understanding of the problem and the administration did not seem to want to work with Acorn to improve the situation.

·         To date, Cabinet Member responses to Acorn’s questions included assertions that bailiffs were mainly used to collect debts from landlords and people living outside of the borough. It was commented that tenants, rather than landlords were liable for Council Tax.

·         Acorn asserted that Haringey’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

To agree the minutes of the following previous meetings, as a correct record:

·         6^th January Libraries Call-In

·         14^th January PSPO Call-In

·         OSC - 20^th January

·         OSC - Budget meeting 30^th January

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the following meetings were agreed as an accurate record:

·         6^th January 2025 – Call-in

·         14^th January 2025 – Call-in

·         20^th January 2025 – OSC Meeting (Budget)

·         30^th January 2025 – OSC Meeting (Budget)

To receive and note the minutes of the following Scrutiny Panels and to approve any recommendations contained within:

·         Climate, Community Safety & Environment Panel – 17^th December

·         Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel – 17^th December

·         Children & Young People’s Panel – 13^th January

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the following Scrutiny Panels were noted and agreed as a correct record, and any recommendations contained within were approved:

·         Climate, Community Safety & Environment Panel – 17th December

·         Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel – 17th December

·         Children & Young People’s Panel – 13th January

To follow.

The Committee received a cover report and an accompanying presentation which provided an update on how the Council dealt with Council Tax debt, including the use of Enforcement Agents, and what support the Council offered to alleviate debt. The report and presentation were set out in the additional report pack at pages 1-28. As Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, Cllr Carlin gave a general introduction to the agenda item. The presentation was introduced by; Kari Manovitch, AD Customer Services; Andrew Mackie, Revenues Manger; and James Straw, Benefits Manager as set out in the additional report pack. Cllr Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality was also present for this agenda item, as part of her portfolio included the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and the Ethical Debt Policy. As part of the Ethical Debt Policy, the Council had a policy position that no one who was known to the Council as; being vulnerable or having mental health concerns, or known as being in receipt of Council Tax reduction benefit would be referred to an enforcement agent. The policy also put in place a number of changes around how the Council engaged with residents to prevent payment defaults and debt, as well as offer support to those who were struggling financially.

 The following arose as part of the discussion of this agenda item:

1. The Chair sought clarification on slide 9, around the extent to how many of the four pathways led to a person being referred to an enforcement agent. In response, the Committee was advised that those who were in receipt of Council Tax Reduction benefit would never be referred to an enforcement agent. The same applied to those who were known to Adult Social Care as being vulnerable. In the third pathway, for those who were flagged by the Council’s Pathway software as being potentially in financial hardship, they would be sent an additional letter offering dedicated help from the Council’s Financial support Team and extra time to pay. Officers clarified that if that person did not engage with the Council, then ultimately a decision would have be made as to whether to refer the case to an enforcement agent or not.
2. The Chair commented that the deputation had put forward the argument that enforcement agent referrals were concentrated in the most deprived areas. The Chair sought clarification about whether this was reflection of the fact that the Council was failing to reach the people it need to help, or whether it was the case that the Ethical Debt Policy was aimed at helping a minority of the most vulnerable, or whether the Council was saying that Acorn’s assertion was incorrect. In response, the Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality acknowledged that it was a fair challenge and that the Council needed to keep using data to try and understand why referrals may be higher in a particular area. It was suggested that one possible factor may be do with population density and HMO  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

To update the Committee on the Haringey Markets Strategy and the development of the associated Action Plan.

The Committee received a report on the Haringey Markets Strategy and Action Plan, along with a copy of  the Haringey Markets Strategy attached as an appendix to the report. A set of presentation slides was also presented, these are set out in the tabled papers pack. The report and presentation was introduced by Pippa Gueterbock, Head of Placemaking and Keith Trotter, Interim Lead – Local Economy, as set out in the agenda pack at pages 65-168, and in the tabled papers pack. Also present for this item was Cllr Ruth Gordon, Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Local Economy.  The following arose during the discussion of this item:

a.    The Committee queried what prompted the Council to develop a market strategy in the first place, and what additional resources would be required to implement the strategy. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that it was driven by a manifesto commitment and the Cabinet Member’s enjoyment of walking around a market. The Cabinet Member welcomed the fact that there were different types of markets across Haringey. The Cabinet Member commented that the Latin market at Seven Sisters should be reopening soon. In terms of resources, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that the Council was in a difficult financial position. It was commented that the role of the Council was to act as a curator, and to leverage different business networks together. The Council worked closely with Wood Green BID, and was developing a wider business forum network, which among other things would provide a degree of mentorship.

b.    In relation to concerns around the types of markets and ensuring they appealed to the local area, the Cabinet Member echoed comments made in relation to the success of Holcombe Road market and acknowledged the challenges with Tottenham Green market. The Cabinet Member suggested it was partially about engagement and understanding what worked in a particular area, as well as the regularity and wider variety of stalls encouraging more traders to the market. Officers added that there was always a balance required between the overall viability of the market and ensuring it offered the right products at the right price point.

c.    The Chair queried whether the option of effectively providing land to external market operators limited the Council’s ability to ensure that the right type of markets were happening in the right locations. In response, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that it was difficult to give a definitive answer, but ultimately the Council did not have the resources or expertise to run markets in-house. It was commented that in order to do this, the Council would have to build up a team over a period of time.

d.    The Committee referred to Alexandra Palace farmer’s market as an example of a successful market in the borough that was away from a town centre location and sought the comments from officers about why the strategy was focused on town centre locations. In response, officers commented that the market was very well established and people knew when  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

RESOLVED

     I.        That the current work programme for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee was noted and any amendments were agreed as appropriate.

    II.        That the Committee gave consideration to possible agenda items and reports required for its meetings in 2025/26.

  III.        That the Committee approved the draft scope and terms of reference for a Scrutiny Review by the Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel on TA Allocations and PRS Discharge Policies.

N/A

·         8^th Apr 2025 (7pm)

8^th April 2025