Issue - meetings

To consider a report on proposed alternative methods for cash paying customers at Debden Broadway Cash office.

The Customer Services Manager, S Lewis advised the Committee that an alternative payment method for customers who continued to rely on cash and/or need of face-to-face assistance to facilitate payments would be required due to the closure of the Broadway office and to improve the general accessibility.  

Officers had compared various options to assist cash paying customers with council tax and Non-Domestic Rates and had found that Allpay cards were the most cost-effective alternative, in terms of return investment. Furthermore, housing services were already using this system for their payments. The only inconvenience foreseen, would be that customers would require different Allpay card for each payment service, resulting in possible multiply cards being held by the customer. Although, this would be outweighed by the addition of a district wide face to face services 6 days a week via 20+ Post Office counters, along with the additional ability to pay via over 30 Allpay PayPoints within the district.

The Committee asked questions and made the following comments

·         How did the Allpay cards work?  The council would issue the customer with a Allpay card for the relevant service that was billed being to them. Then the customer would take both the card and payment to one of the 62 payment locations around the district, where the customer would hand over the card and make a cash, debit/credit payment to the relevant account.

·         It was noted that there were a number of post offices missed off the list, although this may have been due to them not having the Allpay facilities.

·         What age groups paid in cash? Although the data was not available, in general most people who paid cash were of an older generation and did not have a bank account or were carers or required assistant with technology.

·         The council office was a very positive presence in an area of the authority.

·         It was noted that Allpay was already used by the housing service, so many customers were already aware of this, and the evidence supported the use of this type of payment working.

            RESOLVED:

1.             That the Committee noted that cash paying customers currently using the Loughton Broadway Office would be issued with Allpay cards for council tax and Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR)

2.             That the Allpay service would be in place before the closure of the Loughton Broadway Cash Office.

3.             That following the initial roll-out, the Allpay scheme would be opened to all Council Tax and NNDR customers as an opt-in service.