Revenues Officer

Revenues Officer

Basildon

You will be working within the Council Tax Recovery team, predominantly taking all incoming recovery calls from Council Tax charge payers, taking payments and setting up special payment arrangements. The ideal candidate will need experience working within a busy Council Tax Recovery department and advanced use of Civica Open Revenues.

Accountabilities

• Communicate with taxpayers and other interested persons, predominantly by telephone, to identify occupiers, owners for liabilities, discounts and disregards.
• To facilitate payment of Council Tax by ensuring that demand notices and other documentation are issued to tax payers as appropriate. Implement methods of payment, refunds and other transactions as necessary.
• Serve various legal notices and invoices for all debt types, implementing payment agreements and take appropriate action for collection and recovery in accordance with guidelines, taking ownership of monitoring accounts and payment arrangements.
• Ensure that appropriate methods of enforcement and sanctions are pursued, having regard to the means and circumstances of debtors, ensuring that due regard is taken in vulnerable cases.
• Ensure that appropriate methods of enforcement and sanctions are pursued, having regard to the means and circumstances of debtors, ensuring that due regard is taken in vulnerable cases.
• Maintain knowledge of Council Tax and Benefits legislation, including debt collection, enforcement and insolvency law, ensuring that processes and decisions apply in accordance with law and policy guidelines.
• To represent the council in court hearings for all debt types.
• Ensure that communications with DWP through the Customer Information System (CIS) or its equivalent are properly implemented and undertaken by the relevant staff in accordance with agreed procedures.
• To identify cases of hardship or other circumstances where a debt may be irrecoverable and to make recommendations for write-offs, referring debtors to local welfare benefits and debt counselling groups where appropriate.
• Liaise with other staff as appropriate in relation to the collection and enforcement of all debt types owed to the Council.
• Liaise with enforcement agents, the Police, Courts and with other external collection and enforcement agents to seek to obtain prompt and correct settlement of debts.
• To liaise with all internal and external partners as required.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Demonstrable experience of working in a recovery section or in a similar environment dealing with the collection of various debt types
• A good working knowledge of Council Tax and NNDR law and procedures
• Experience of customer/public contact demonstrating good communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience of accurately maintaining and interpreting personal and financial data
• Experience of using office information systems, specifically CIVICA.