Disclosure Log

Question

1. Council tax arrears

(a) What is the total value (£) of council tax arrears currently held by the authority?

(b) How many individual accounts are currently in council tax arrears?

(c) How many council tax accounts were referred to enforcement agents (e.g. bailiffs) in the last 24 months?

2. Support to Victim-Survivors of Domestic Abuse

(a) In the last 24 months, how many residents experiencing domestic abuse has the council

supported with debt-related relief or support (e.g. council tax reductions, payment plans,

discretionary hardship payments, write-offs)?

(b) Does the authority record or monitor whether a resident requesting debt relief has experienced domestic abuse? If so, how many such cases have been recorded in the last 24 months?

3. Debt Recovery and Domestic Abuse Policies

(a) Does the authority have any policies, procedures, or guidance documents that refer to domestic abuse as a consideration in debt recovery processes (including enforcement, recovery pauses, or alternative arrangements)? Please provide a copy or link.

(b) Does the authority have any policies, procedures, or guidance that include domestic abuse as a factor in determining eligibility for council tax write-offs or reductions under Section

13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992?

4. Discretionary Write-Off Monitoring

(a) Does the authority monitor or record the use of discretionary council tax write-offs granted under Section 13A(1)(c)?

(b) If yes: How many discretionary council tax write-off requests were (i) received and (ii)

approved and (iii) not approved in the last 24 months?

(c) In how many of those (i) received (ii) approved and (iii) not approved cases was domestic

abuse recorded as a contributing factor or reason for the request?

(d) Does the authority monitor and record the decision maker and decision-making time scale for council tax write offs? If yes: (i) Who was the decision maker for these cases and (ii) what

was the average time taken to make a decision and (iii) were individuals given a written

explanation when a request is refused?

5. Approaches to Other Public Sector Debts

(a) Does the authority have policies or guidance in place relating to recovery of other public sector debts (e.g. housing arrears, benefit overpayments, social care charges)?

(b) Do any of these policies explicitly reference domestic abuse as a relevant factor in debt

recovery or relief decisions?

(c) Please provide copies or links to these policies.

6. Enforcement Agents

(a) Are external enforcement agents used for council tax recovery? If yes, please provide the

name(s) of current suppliers.

(b) Did your procurement or process for selection of external enforcement agents consider

vulnerability in relation to domestic abuse?

(c) Do your contracts with these suppliers set out requirements on vulnerability in relation to

domestic abuse?

(d) Do you share vulnerability relating to domestic abuse with enforcement agents, and if so under what policy or data sharing agreement? Please provide copy of the applicable data sharing agreement, if available.

7. Training and practice

(a) Are your staff required to undertake training that include identifying signs of domestic abuse?

(b) Are your staff required to undertake training that includes identifying signs of economic

abuse?

Answer

1. Council tax arrears

(a) What is the total value (£) of council tax arrears currently held by the authority?

7.1M (at 31st March 2026)

(b) How many individual accounts are currently in council tax arrears?

3,800 (2025)

(c) How many council tax accounts were referred to enforcement agents (e.g. bailiffs) in the last 24 months?

2024-2025 – 1,744

2025-2026 – 1,363

2. Support to Victim-Survivors of Domestic Abuse

(a) In the last 24 months, how many residents experiencing domestic abuse has the council supported with debt-related relief or support (e.g. council tax reductions, payment plans,

discretionary hardship payments, write-offs)?

This information is not recorded

(b) Does the authority record or monitor whether a resident requesting debt relief has experienced domestic abuse? If so, how many such cases have been recorded in the last 24 months?

We do not record information for this purpose

3. Debt Recovery and Domestic Abuse Policies

(a) Does the authority have any policies, procedures, or guidance documents that refer to domestic abuse as a consideration in debt recovery processes (including enforcement, recovery pauses, or alternative arrangements)? Please provide a copy or link.

No, Where vulnerability has been identified, the liability is examined for appropriateness.

(b) Does the authority have any policies, procedures, or guidance that include domestic abuse as a factor in determining eligibility for council tax write-offs or reductions under Section

13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992?

No, each liability put forwarded for write is examined for appropriateness, but there is nothing specific for domestic abuse consideration.

4. Discretionary Write-Off Monitoring

(a) Does the authority monitor or record the use of discretionary council tax write-offs granted under Section 13A(1)(c)?

(b) If yes: How many discretionary council tax write-off requests were (i) received and (ii) approved and (iii) not approved in the last 24 months?

(c) In how many of those (i) received (ii) approved and (iii) not approved cases was domestic abuse recorded as a contributing factor or reason for the request? – Not recorded

(d) Does the authority monitor and record the decision maker and decision-making time scale for council tax write offs? If yes:

(i) Who was the decision maker for these cases and - Assistant Revenues Manager / Revenues Manager

(ii) what was the average time taken to make a decision - Director of Finance – time scale not recorded

(iii) were individuals given a written explanation when a request is refused?- Yes

5. Approaches to Other Public Sector Debts

(a) Does the authority have policies or guidance in place relating to recovery of other public sector debts (e.g. housing arrears, benefit overpayments, social care charges)?

Social Care Charges would fall within the sundry debt recovery policy

(b) Do any of these policies explicitly reference domestic abuse as a relevant factor in debt recovery or relief decisions?

Please see policies linked below.

(c) Please provide copies or links to these policies.

Council Tax Discretionary Policy - https://democracy.merthyr.gov.uk/documents/s65909/Committee%20Report.pdf?LLL=0

Sundry Debt Recovery Policy - https://democracy.merthyr.gov.uk/documents/s65430/Committee%20Report.pdf?LLL=0

6. Enforcement Agents

(a) Are external enforcement agents used for council tax recovery? If yes, please provide the name(s) of current suppliers.

Marstons

(b) Did your procurement or process for selection of external enforcement agents consider vulnerability in relation to domestic abuse?

No

(c) Do your contracts with these suppliers set out requirements on vulnerability in relation to domestic abuse?

Marston shall comply with the Equalities Act 2010 and make it its practice to not treat one group of people less favourably than others because of their age, disability, gender, reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and beliefs, sex or sexual orientation in decisions to recruit, train or promote employees.

(d) Do you share vulnerability relating to domestic abuse with enforcement agents, and if so under what policy or data sharing agreement? Please provide copy of the applicable data sharing agreement, if available.

If applicable it would be shared under the Service Level Agreement between MTCBC and Marstons

7. Training and practice

(a) Are your staff required to undertake training that include identifying signs of domestic abuse?

Staff are required to undertake a variety of educational modules which include:

All Wales Safeguarding 2025 module

MTCBC – VAWDASV module

(b) Are your staff required to undertake training that includes identifying signs of economic abuse?

Staff are required to undertake a variety of educational modules which include:

All Wales Safeguarding 2025 module

MTCBC – VAWDASV module