Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Venue: Meeting Room 1 (2nd Floor) - 3 Shortlands, Hammersmith, W6 8DA. View directions

Contact: Bathsheba Mall, Committee Co-ordinator 

Items
No. Item

1.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING pdf icon PDF 224 KB

To approve as an accurate record, and the Chair to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 29th April 2021.

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 April 2021 were agreed as an accurate record.

2.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

None.

 

3.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

 

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

 

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

 

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Audit, Pensions and Standards Committee. 

 

Minutes:

None.

4.

Dissolution of LBHF Joint Ventures Limited (10812552) pdf icon PDF 130 KB

This report recommends that the council, as shareholder of LBHF Joint Ventures Limited, agree to pursue a dissolution. LBHF Joint Ventures Limited is a company jointly established between the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) and Intrum, previously known as 1st Credit Limited.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

1.      That Commercial Revenue Committee, acting as the shareholder, agreed to the formal commencement, by the directors, to the application to dissolve LBHF Joint Ventures Limited and its removal from the Companies Register through the completion of form DS01; and

 

2.      That Commercial Revenue Committee, as the shareholder, agreed to the distribution of shareholder funds in LBHF Joint Ventures Limited, prior to dissolution and in proportion to the company’s shareholding.

Minutes:

Emily Hill gave a brief presentation outlining details about the dissolution of Joint Venture Limited.  The company was established to provide ethical debt solutions to the council and other local authorities.  The joint venture partner had made clear its intention to leave the partnership due to the unexpectedly difficult commercial market conditions.  Members of the board had met in June 2021 to recommend that the company was struck from the company’s register.  It was recognised that this decision did not alter the council’s policy on ethnical debt collection and importantly, the council would continue to not use bailiffs for the collection of unpaid council tax and in other financial areas such as housing benefit overpayment or former tenant arrears and recovery arrangements had been put in place to ethically support this in house.  As the two main areas, these would be monitored and evaluated to ensure efficient provision.

 

Councillor Connell sought an assurance that individuals with an existing payment plan with the joint venture would be transferred to the in house provision. He also asked for further information about the process that the council would follow to continue with ethical debt collection. Emily Hill confirmed that there was a detailed handover plan in place to ensure that those on payment plans would transition smoothly to the new provision. The Tax Team had undertaken significant work to ensure that debt collection was ethical using text reminders and early notification, signposting support and advice, particularly during Covid. Communication and the agreement of payment plans ensured that people could maintain an affordable payment plan.  The council’s ethical approach supported those that qualified, and the council would also continue with a generous council tax support scheme.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.      That Commercial Revenue Committee, acting as the shareholder, agreed to the formal commencement, by the directors, to the application to dissolve LBHF Joint Ventures Limited and its removal from the Companies Register through the completion of form DS01; and

 

2.      That Commercial Revenue Committee, as the shareholder, agreed to the distribution of shareholder funds in LBHF Joint Ventures Limited, prior to dissolution and in proportion to the company’s shareholding.

5.

FUTURE DATES OF MEETINGS

To be arranged.

Minutes:

To be confirmed.

 

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