The Interim Head of Mid Kent Revenues and Benefits Partnership introduced the report and stated that the partnership between the Council, Swale and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils had been in place since 2016. The Fraud and Compliance Team (the Team) had now returned to working solely on detecting fraud and error, mainly through reviewing both the Council Tax discounts being applied and the properties missed from the Council Tax and Business Rates list. Table 1 of the report demonstrated that the partnership had generated income and savings of just over £860,000 across the 2022/23 financial year.

In response to a question, the Head of Mid Kent Revenues and Benefits Partnership explained that savings from the ‘New Homes Bonus – properties confirmed as occupied’ in Table 1, followed the Team’s review into unoccupied properties to identify any that had since been occupied and should be paying Council Tax. This was then reported to the Finance Team ahead of its submission of paperwork for the New Homes Bonus.

The Committee expressed support for the work undertaken by the service.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report be noted.