Council Tax Revenue Officer - London Borough of Barking & Dagenham- IG11 7
3- 6 months Contract
Full time
Remote
I am currently representing Council Tax Revenue Officer are offering an initial temporary contract for a period of 3 – 6 months with a view to be extended or offered a permanent position for the right candidate at a rate which is negotiable dependent upon experience.
We are looking for Council Tax Revenue Officer based at Barking Town Hall, IG11 7
We are looking for experienced Council Tax officers as the work will involve billing and recovery work. Ie Doing move in and outs, applying reliefs, setting up payment arrangements etc.
Key Accountabilities:
To receive and deal with correspondence from customers, landlords, members, CAB, and outside agencies relating to recovery issues through a variety of channels e.g., correspondence, e mails, telephones, face to face etc and the correct processing of that information to enable effective collection of all the Council’s income streams.
To ensure all correspondence is dealt with fairly, impartially, and objectively through an appropriate channel.
Ensure that the correct details regarding liability, collection and enforcement are recorded on the Council’s revenues systems and to undertake the tracing of debtors in order that the correct action is taken to recover all unpaid accounts.
Negotiate and agree suitable repayment plans with customers, taking into account the means and circumstances of people liable to pay, in accordance with policies and guidelines in force at the time.
To receive payments from customers and to ensure payments are kept secure and are recorded and credited to the customer’s account accurately and promptly.
To respond to complaints from customers and enquiries from MPs and Senior Officers of the Council.
To undertake home visits and property inspections to deal with debt collection, liability and valuation issues.
To attend Court hearings where required to assist with queries, make payment arrangements and assist the Court Officers as required.
To undertake the allocation of income from suspense accounts, including the transfer of credits between accounts and invoices. To identify errors/discrepancies and to undertake reconciliation of accounts taking corrective action as required.Identify errors/ discrepancies in information passed between systems and the calculation of debts and apply corrective action if required.
To develop and maintain an awareness of fraud to help prevent fraudulent entering the system.
To carry out administrative duties relating to the job, issue bills, notices, letters and other documents as required. To make decisions over which debt to pursue in line with council policy and taking into consideration individual customer’s circumstances, and progress cases to court if necessary.
To update the database(s) as a result of Valuation schedules in a timely fashion.
To make decisions over which debts to write off and to complete the necessary documentation for approval.
Ensure all necessary information is gathered from customers and any other available source in order to resolve customer queries and to maintain the integrity of the Council’s databases.
Maintain comprehensive records of all accounts and invoices, all stages of the debt recovery process, monitor and review records in order to ensure records are up to date and take action as necessary to address inaccuracies and inconsistencies.
Outreach Activities
To undertake visits to domestic and commercial properties as required to investigate liability and valuation issues.
To undertake visits to domestic and commercial properties as required to discuss arrears and negotiate payment.
Prepare and pass documents and detailed reports to other sections in the immediate and wider teams.
To support management when attending Public Forums on behalf of all the service, to explain current Legislation, Liability and Enforcement Issues, LBBD policies and practices with a view to enhancing customers’ understanding and the Authorities image.
To recognise and prioritise high profile cases arising from members, MPs or senior LBBD officials.
To report potential cases of adult or child abuse, either physical or financial, and advise the appropriate agencies accordingly
Requirements :
Demonstrable communication skills both verbal and written. Able to respond to and resolve customer queries and complaints.
Able to process a wide range of information to extract key facts and provide a clear summary
Demonstrable numeracy skills. Able to interpret numerical data to ensure Council Tax bills are calculated correctly. Able to review customer’s financial income and expenditure statements to assess affordability and set up payment plans. Able to explain a customer’s balance i.e., how it has been calculated and what is owed, in plain English.
A working knowledge of IT equipment and ability to work remotely using software such as Microsoft Teams and Windows 10.
Experience of using IT software such as Excel to manage data (i.e., input, record and retrieve), and produce written documents
Currently working in Local Government with demonstrable experience of dealing with Council Tax enquiries from residents and a good understanding of the Council Tax process and its interaction with other Revenues, Benefits and Support services
A good understanding of equalities and diversity in the workplace. A positive attitude and commitment towards promoting equality, fairness and inclusion
Understanding of GDPR and the importance of handling data in line with data protection policies and legislation.
Demonstrable organisational and time management skills. Able to effectively manage workload to meet deadlines.
Able to work independently and under pressure to achieve individual work targets.
Able to work flexibly across a range of work areas, performing a variety of work tasks and learning new duties within a specified timeframe