Enforcement and Protections for Vulnerable Residents
Received: 19 May 2025
Dear FOI Officer,Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please respond yes or no to the following:1.Has Barnet Council flagged council tax accounts as 'vulnerable' and exempted them from enforcement since 2020?2.Does Barnet Council have policies to protect residents with mental health conditions or disabilities from enforcement?3.Are bailiffs contracted by Barnet Council trained to identify and respond to vulnerable individuals?4.Has Barnet Council conducted Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) on its council tax enforcement procedures since 2020?5.Does Barnet Council maintain a written policy or protocol for identifying and handling financially vulnerable or mentally ill residents before initiating enforcement action?6.Does Barnet Council screen for vulnerability before referring council tax debts to enforcement agents?7.Does Barnet Council require bailiff companies to pause enforcement where a resident is flagged as potentially vulnerable?8.Has Barnet Council received any formal complaints from residents since 2020 regarding mistreatment of vulnerable individuals during council tax enforcement?9.Has Barnet Council issued any formal warnings or sanctions to enforcement agents due to breaches involving vulnerable residents since 2020?10.Does Barnet Council train its revenue recovery staff in the recognition of mental health conditions or financial vulnerability?11.Does Barnet Council share vulnerability flags or safeguarding information with enforcement agents before they attend a property?12.Has Barnet Council formally adopted the 'Taking Control of Goods: National Standards' guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice?13.Has Barnet Council ever refused to apply the discretionary Section 13A(1)(c) Local Government Finance Act 1992 reduction for council tax on the basis of financial hardship and mental health?Yours faithfully,
Outcome / Documents
- Response (all information to be supplied) - application/pdf - Download