Joint
Committee for Revenues and Benefits
Composition:
Two Cabinet members of Lancaster City Council (to be appointed by
the Leader) and Cabinet members of Preston City Council, with
the remaining members of each Cabinet able to act as substitute
members.
Terms of
Reference
The Joint Committee is responsible for:
(a)
The delivery of those
delegated functions relating to Revenues and Benefits set out below
that Lancaster City Council and Preston City Council have agreed to
be delivered through the Joint Committee within the budget and to
the agreed standards;
(b)
Ensuring that
Lancaster City Council and Preston City Council remain fully
informed and engaged.
1
Functions Delegated To
The Joint Committee
1.1
The following
functions are delegated to the Joint Committee to be carried out on
behalf of the Councils, subject to the terms of the Shared Service
Agreement between the Councils:
(a)
Maintenance of
databases in administering Revenues and Benefits;
(b)
Billing, collection
and recovery of Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates;
(c)
Administration,
assessment and payment of Benefits;
(d)
Securing the gateway
to Benefits and the identification of fraud and error, including
investigation and determination of sanctions (save for
prosecutions);
(e)
Recovery of arrears or
repayment of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
Overpayment;
(f)
Compilations of
returns to Central Government relating to Revenues and Benefits (to
be signed off by the Chief Finance Officer);
(g)
Provision of
administration and support services relating to Revenues and
Benefits when appropriate;
(h)
Approval of
discretionary housing payments;
(i)
Approval of
applications for mandatory relief, discretionary relief for
Non-Domestic Rates and Council Tax, including hardship and partial
occupation;
(j)
Recommendation and
administration of any write-offs of bad debts within the scope of
the write-off policies established by each Council;
(k)
Preparation of benefit
subsidy claims;
(l)
Any additional
functions that may be conducive to carrying out the shared service
for Revenues and Benefits; and
(m)Responding to all requests for information in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of
the functions delegated to the Joint Committee (whether such
requests are addressed to the Joint Committee or any Partner
Council).
1.2
The
functions delegated to the Joint Committee shall be exercised
subject to any proposed expenditure being contained in the annual
Revenues and Benefits budget approved by the Councils and any
proposed activities being within the Business Plan approved by the
Councils provided that it complies with the relevant Financial
Procedure Rules of the Joint Committee.
Functions retained by
each Council
1.3
The following
functions and matters shall be reserved to and decided by each
Council from time to time; all decisions and policies on such
matters shall be notified to the Joint Committee, as necessary, as
soon as reasonably practicable after any such decision is made, and
the Joint Committee shall give effect to all such policies and
decisions of the Councils in the exercise of the functions
delegated to it:
(a)
Approving and setting
of Council Tax;
(b)
Calculation of Council
Tax Base;
(c)
Collection fund
accounting;
(d)
Approval of benefit
subsidy claims;
(e)
Determination of
policy for second and empty homes;
(f)
Determination of
policy for write-off of bad debts and approval of any write-offs
within the scope of that policy;
(g)
Setting the level of,
and the receipt of, enforcement fees;
(h)
Approval of
discretionary relief policies in relation to Non-Domestic Rates and
Council Tax;
(i)
Agreement of rating
assessments for Council owned properties; and
(j)
Authorisation and prosecution of benefit fraud cases.