Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group 7 July 2024 At the latest meeting of the Independent Revenues & Benefits (R&B) Group, members grappled with a familiar but still unresolved dilemma: how to reconcile the administrative and political pressures of council tax collection with the realities of household poverty, affordability, and fairness. Council Tax Write-Offs and Public…
Category: Legal
VN Monday Discussion Group 4/11/24 The Autumn Budget
On 4 November 2024, the Independent R&B Discussion Group met to examine the latest budget and its implications for local services, public spending, and policies affecting welfare and business rates. Led by Malcolm Gardner, the session provided detailed insights from experts in local government finance and welfare, with a focus on emerging policies and the…
Lessons for Revenue and Benefits Services on the Use of Data: Insights from the National Data Guardian’s Warning
The effective use of data is fundamental to the operations of any public service, including revenue and benefits services. However, the way data is described and managed is just as crucial as the data itself. Drawing lessons from the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care, Dr Nicola Byrne’s recent warnings about the misuse…
Risk Warning: Confidential Data and Intellectual Property Vulnerabilities Due to Generative AI Systems
Attention is drawn to the emerging and substantial risk associated with the inadvertent mining of confidential data and proprietary intellectual property stored within SharePoint by generative AI systems, including but not limited to ChatGPT and Copilot technologies. Generative AI systems, designed to optimize data processing and content generation, possess the capability to access, analyse, and…
Monday Discussion Group 8/1/24 — Money, money, money
We returned this week with a great discussion where we looked at the recent Resolution Foundation briefing note for the Health Foundation that looks at pressures on family pay, prices, and properties and the corresponding burdens on it brings to local authority budgets. There is a cyclic pressure of more hard-pressed families turning to equally…
Jan 1 2024 Revenues and Benefits Update Pack
Happy New Year. I wanted to drop you a quick message during our holiday break. I’ve prepared a pack with the latest updates on revenues and benefits, covering what’s been happening with council finances and recent developments from the last couple of weeks. There’s some positive news about the funding settlement, although it still doesn’t…
Discussion group 10/7: Oflog & Four-day weeks.
During our recent discussion group meeting, we examined the newly declared Office of Local Government (OfLog). The Secretary of State, Michael Gove, has heralded numerous prospective benefits to emerge from OfLog, while maintaining that it does not represent a resurrection of the Audit Commission. However, upon closer scrutiny, its responsibilities appear to align more closely…
Discussion group: Insolvencies and DWP MOU.
The recent discussion group focused on the escalating number of insolvencies and their impact on tax billing and collection. We also delved into the matter of the Department for Work and Pensions’ data Sharing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the reasons why some councils are hesitant to sign it, opting instead to seek legal advice….
Data Sharing Standoff: The Conflict Between DWP and Local Authorities
The current debate between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities centres around the data sharing memorandum of understanding (MoU), with some councils, particularly in London, refusing to sign and seeking legal advice. On the other hand, other councils perceive the new MoU’s provisions to be reasonable, reflecting the diverse range of…
Examining the Trials and Implications of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Welcome back to our discussion group! After a short break, we reconvened with renewed enthusiasm to delve into the fascinating topic of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Our conversation revolved around the trials conducted to assess the viability and impact of UBI. However, we discovered that none of the trials thus far truly represented a comprehensive…