“Mucsy,

I see from your link they've been caught at it before:

"2002/03 sees a hike of 50% in the summons fee followed by another 100% rise in 2004/05"

"Digging somewhat deeper into North East Lincolnshire council's murky past, reveals this isn't the first time it has failed to cover its dirty deceitful tracks.

Rewinding back to 2002 there is another incriminating document with another example of summons penalties being used for income generation.

A cabinet document from November 2002 addresses staffing issues and the backlog of work which was created within the council's Revenues and Benefits department. These were due to problems with IT systems. The document highlighted that they increased penalties to raise money that would fund employing extra staff in the Council tax department.

This IT blunder was directly remedied by Council taxpaying residents who were penalised to meet the added cost of employing extra staff members. It was implied in the document that the Council was confident that at least 6,000 residents would be caught out each year by the Summons fee thus raising in excess of an additional £30,000 from the £5 increase in the Summons fee. Their estimated figure was miraculously accurate given that statistics show that in 2002/03 this number turned out to be 6,140.

There is something awry here though, as the previous year's count totalled 11,465, closer to double their estimate. For such a massive inconsistency there would need to be something very suspicious going on at the council.

The data to the left shows a disturbing pattern. Figures for 2004/05 show that profits are really starting to take off, 128% increase in summonses granted and a further 100% increase in the fee. In the absence of further evidence, It is unclear why such an enormous increase in profits was needed, but it leaves one wondering, what council blunders, the residents caught out with these penalties have been made to fund.

A quick calculation would tell us that with the Revenues and Benefits 2004/05 takings, a further seven staff, like those paid for to resolve the previous mentioned IT gaffes, could have been funded.

Only two examples have been studied; however, sight should not be lost of the fact that these are only two cases where evidence has been found which exposed the council's failure to cover their tracks......."”

“Some further reading:

http://tinyurl.com/3c8gwyf

http://tinyurl.com/3vw93gp”

“Issues arising from this brown bin fiasco will look like a drop in the ocean when compared with the scandal being unearthed on the other thread (merging revenue and benefits services)

http://tinyurl.com/79qvyd9

Quoted from valvissy123's post..... this puts in a nutshell another budgetary cost cutting measure that will see residents illegally being made to fund an expected additional £752,000 in council tax penalties.

"So just let me get this right ....

1. The law clearly states that NO PROFIT can made by the Council when collecting Council tax arrears, and that the Council are only allowed to 'cover their costs' when applying penalties for late payment.
And yet the Council is listing 'DEBT RECOVERY' as 'INCOME'??!!?!

Then clearly, THE COUNCIL *ARE* MAKING A PROFIT!
Ergo they are surely ACTING UNLAWFULLY.

2. NE Lincs Council have categorically stated that sharing Revenues and Benefits services with North Lincs Council will reduce costs .. so why (if costs are to be reduced) have they hiked up the penalty charges for late payment of council tax, and sacked 21 council workers? Surely if the Council are to believed, the opposite should have applied?

Methinks something smells decidedly fishy within the hallowed halls and quiet corridors of our fair Borough's Council.
And it certainly ain't fish!"”

“beowulfonline,

From your link
http://tinyurl.com/ctsg8dm

The Telegraph

Garden waste collections used to introduce stealth bin charges

"Under environmental laws, councils are supposed to be minimising the amount of waste they send to landfill and are charged landfill tax to help discourage this.

Local government minister Grant Shapps hit out at the practice. He said: "It is wrong for councils to be covertly dumping garden waste in landfill – residents are being conned, and the environment is being harmed.

"These charges are the brainchild of Hilary Benn who as Environment Secretary under Labour actively encouraged councils to treat households as cash cows."”

“http://tinyurl.com/ctsg8dm”

“Nice to see the Labour party take notice of the public for once - must be worried about how many votes this daft idea would lose them

It would be nice if they would admit they were wrong over car parking charges as well - another back door tax to get in more money being as they aren't allowed to increase council tax again this year.

Every time Labour get elected we end up paying for it. Trouble is they will probably hang on until the council is bankrupt - just like they did last time!!!

What do you Labour people think to it? You've all gone quiet. You must be ashamed to admit voting for them!”

“I am Shaw and I don't care.”

“scrapped you say -are you shaw”

“Just heard on the radio that the popular brown bin proposals have been scrapped and the savings will have to be found elsewhere.

That's going to be interesting, any guesses what they'll try next?”

“Could there be signs of a u-turn by Labour on this?

A pity they came up with such a stupid idea in the first place!”