All the District Councils have teamed up across Lincolnshire in order to carry out a review of cases where a 25% single person discount has been awarded for Council Tax purposes. We have commissioned this work from a third party - Northgate Information Solutions UK Limited.
We will investigate any discrepancies found and, where we find the discount should no longer apply, we will remove it from an appropriate date. We may also impose a financial penalty of £70 as provided for by law.
If you receive a Discount Review form, please complete and return it as soon as possible in the reply paid envelope that came with the form.
Here are a few questions that we hope will answer any queries you may have:
Q. Why are you checking these discounts?
A. All councils are required to ensure that discounts are awarded properly, and we regularly carry out reviews. As a matter of interest, The Audit Commission reports that nationally, over £200m of Single Person Discount may be awarded inappropriately.
Q. Are you allowed to use a third party to carry out the review?
A. Yes. The law allows councils to 'contract out' certain functions. Ascertaining entitlement to discounts is covered in Section 12 of the Local Authorities (Contracting Out of Tax Billing, Collection and Enforcement Functions) Order 1996.
Q. Who are Northgate (the company carrying out the review)?
A. Northgate is a reputable company who specialise in the provision of Benefits and Revenues software and they deal with Benefits and Revenues processing work for many Local Authorities.
Q. Are their employees covered by the Data Protection Act?
A. Yes. All personal data is held and processed securely to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Northgate's employees are contracted to comply in the same way as any member of staff here at South Holland. We have taken all necessary steps, including encryption where required, to ensure that data security and confidentiality are not breached in any way.
Q. How is the review being carried out?
A. Northgate, acting on our behalf, is checking all council tax accounts which have a 25% single person discount against a variety of third party data sources and specialist validation services.
Q. Does this mean my name or other details are being sent to other companies?
A. No. Searches are carried out against addresses only - not individuals. Northgate check the information held by other sources against the council tax records. They do not share any information with anyone else nor do they allow any other company access to that information.
Q. What happens if I don't return the enquiry form?
A. Your discount will be cancelled from the date considered to be appropriate according to the information obtained. You could also face a penalty of £70 for not returning the form, and failing to tell us about a relevant change in circumstances.
Q. Who should I contact if I need some help to complete the form?
A. You should phone 0844 824 3894 any weekday between 8.30am to 5.00pm.
