Agenda and minutes

20.1     RESOLVED to approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2016. 

21.1     Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.

To consider excluding the public and press from the meeting for the remaining items of the agenda on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in Category 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information).   

22.1     RESOLVED to exclude the public and press from the remaining agenda items on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in Category 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information). 

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

23.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer.

DECISIONS

23.2     RESOLVED (1) to authorise the writing off of 21 debts amounting to £226,402.90 in the Council’s 2016/17 accounts;

(2) to note that provision is made for bad and doubtful debts; and

(3) to note the positive steps being put in place to make improvements going forward.

Reasons

23.3     There is no prospect of recovering the 21 outstanding debts.  Some income becomes uncollectable and to allow for this the accounts of the council have always included a “provision for bad and doubtful debts” which recognises that a proportion of outstanding debts at year end may not be collected.  This provision is monitored each month.

23.4     Work continues to review and streamline the debt recovery process, to learn the lessons and to ensure we have robust systems and processes in place within Accounts Receivable to recover debt promptly.