Performance
Every year the government collects statistics from each local
authority showing how much council tax has been collected.
Councils of a similar type are grouped together so that they can
be compared. Knowsley is compared against the 36 metropolitan
authorities in England.
The first table below shows that our
performance has improved. The second table shows the Merseyside
councils.
Knowsley’s collection rate has improved to the extent that
Knowsley has been the best performing authority in terms of
collection rates for the last four years.
Knowsley has steadily improved because we issue annual bills as
early as possible, so that customers have the maximum advance
notice of the amounts they need to pay.
Our target is to deal with 99% of all changes of circumstances
within five working days of all necessary information being
provided. We meet this target.
Every year, we check a random sample of customers to confirm
that they received their Council Tax bill on time. In April 2009,
we confirmed that only one customer from those surveyed did not
receive their bill on time. Our target of 95% was exceeded by 1.3%
this year.
To make payment as easy as possible, Knowsley offers a range of
different ways to pay, including a choice of five different direct
debit dates in the month.
Our benefits service continues to be judged as excellent by the
Audit Commission’s Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). Quick
decisions on benefits applications let us tell the customer sooner
what they need to pay, so that they don’t fall behind on
payments.
Inevitably, some people will fall behind on their payments. To
prevent the amount owing from building up, we have a timetable of
dates for recovery action set at the start of the year. We try to
make sure that our customers are aware of and receive all of the
discounts, exemptions, reductions and council tax benefit to which
they are entitled, to keep the council tax as affordable as we
can.
Metropolitan districts
|
|
2003/04
|
2004/05
|
2005/06
|
2006/07
|
2007/08
|
2008/09
|
|
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
|
Solihull
|
98.6
|
1
|
98.4
|
1
|
98.6
|
1
|
98.1
|
1
|
98.4
|
1
|
98.6
|
1
|
|
Dudley
|
97.7
|
4
|
97.8
|
3
|
97.8
|
2
|
97.9
|
2
|
98.0
|
2
|
98.1
|
2
|
|
Sandwell
|
92.9
|
33
|
94.5
|
31=
|
96.4
|
16
|
97.3
|
4=
|
97.8
|
3
|
97.9
|
3
|
|
Rotherham
|
97.9
|
3
|
97.5
|
4
|
97.1
|
8
|
97.0
|
7=
|
97.1
|
5=
|
97.0
|
4
|
|
Knowsley
|
96.0
|
20
|
96.8
|
11
|
97.5
|
3
|
97.5
|
3
|
97.4
|
4
|
96.9
|
5=
|
|
Trafford
|
96.4
|
16
|
96.5
|
16=
|
95.2
|
28=
|
96.3
|
20=
|
96.7
|
10
|
96.9
|
5=
|
|
St Helens
|
97.2
|
8=
|
96.6
|
14=
|
96.9
|
11=
|
97.1
|
6
|
97.0
|
7=
|
96.9
|
5=
|
|
North Tyneside
|
96.5
|
15
|
96.7
|
12=
|
96.9
|
11=
|
97.0
|
7=
|
97.1
|
5=
|
96.9
|
5=
|
|
Walsall
|
96.8
|
11=
|
96.6
|
14=
|
96.0
|
24
|
96.7
|
11=
|
96.9
|
9
|
96.9
|
5=
|
|
Bury
|
97.3
|
5=
|
97.3
|
6=
|
97.4
|
4=
|
97.3
|
4=
|
97.0
|
7=
|
96.8
|
10=
|
|
South Tyneside
|
97.3
|
5=
|
96.9
|
9=
|
97.2
|
7
|
96.8
|
10
|
96.6
|
12=
|
96.8
|
10=
|
|
Wirral
|
97.3
|
7
|
97.4
|
5
|
97.4
|
4=
|
96.3
|
20=
|
96.6
|
12=
|
96.7
|
12=
|
|
Gateshead
|
95.1
|
29=
|
93.1
|
33
|
95.9
|
25
|
96.3
|
20=
|
96.4
|
14=
|
96.7
|
12=
|
|
Bolton
|
95.9
|
21
|
95.9
|
23=
|
96.2
|
20=
|
96.4
|
15=
|
96.4
|
14=
|
96.6
|
14=
|
|
Barnsley
|
96.9
|
10
|
96.9
|
9=
|
95.6
|
26
|
96.2
|
24
|
96.2
|
19
|
96.6
|
14=
|
|
Newcastle upon Tyne
|
95.6
|
26=
|
95.0
|
29
|
94.3
|
31=
|
95.5
|
27=
|
95.8
|
24=
|
96.5
|
16=
|
|
Sunderland
|
96.1
|
19
|
96.7
|
12=
|
97.0
|
9=
|
96.4
|
15=
|
95.8
|
24=
|
96.5
|
16=
|
|
Sefton
|
95.1
|
29=
|
95.6
|
25=
|
96.1
|
23
|
96.4
|
15=
|
96.4
|
14=
|
96.4
|
18
|
|
Wigan
|
96.8
|
11=
|
97.0
|
8
|
97.0
|
9=
|
96.9
|
9
|
96.7
|
10
|
96.3
|
19=
|
|
Leeds
|
96.2
|
18
|
96.1
|
21
|
96.3
|
17=
|
96.4
|
15=
|
96.4
|
14=
|
96.3
|
19=
|
|
Stockport
|
95.8
|
22=
|
96.4
|
18=
|
96.8
|
13
|
96.7
|
11=
|
95.4
|
29=
|
96.2
|
21
|
|
Liverpool
|
90.1
|
35
|
93.0
|
34
|
94.3
|
31=
|
95.5
|
27=
|
95.7
|
26=
|
95.8
|
22
|
|
Wolverhampton
|
96.3
|
17
|
96.3
|
20
|
96.3
|
17=
|
96.5
|
14
|
96.0
|
20=
|
95.7
|
23=
|
|
Calderdale
|
95.7
|
24=
|
96.0
|
22
|
96.2
|
20=
|
96.4
|
15=
|
96.0
|
20=
|
95.7
|
23=
|
|
Oldham
|
95.8
|
22=
|
96.4
|
18=
|
96.3
|
17=
|
96.0
|
25
|
95.9
|
22=
|
95.6
|
25=
|
|
Kirklees
|
95.7
|
24=
|
95.9
|
23=
|
96.5
|
15
|
96.6
|
13
|
96.3
|
18
|
95.6
|
25=
|
|
Rochdale
|
96.7
|
13=
|
96.5
|
16=
|
96.6
|
14
|
94.6
|
31
|
95.6
|
28
|
95.5
|
27=
|
|
Tameside
|
97.2
|
8=
|
97.3
|
6=
|
97.3
|
6
|
95.9
|
26
|
95.9
|
22=
|
95.5
|
27=
|
|
Doncaster
|
98.1
|
2
|
98.2
|
2
|
96.2
|
20=
|
96.3
|
20=
|
95.7
|
26=
|
95.5
|
27=
|
|
Sheffield
|
95.5
|
28
|
95.6
|
25=
|
95.2
|
28=
|
95.0
|
30
|
95.4
|
29=
|
94.9
|
30
|
|
Birmingham
|
94.7
|
31
|
94.9
|
30
|
94.0
|
33
|
92.4
|
33
|
93.8
|
33
|
94.8
|
31
|
|
Coventry
|
93.3
|
32
|
95.1
|
28
|
95.4
|
27
|
95.5
|
27=
|
94.7
|
32
|
94.0
|
32=
|
|
Wakefield
|
96.7
|
13=
|
94.5
|
31=
|
93.8
|
34
|
93.2
|
32
|
95.2
|
31
|
94.0
|
32=
|
|
Bradford
|
95.6
|
26=
|
95.2
|
27
|
95.2
|
28=
|
91.8
|
34
|
93.3
|
34
|
93.8
|
34
|
|
Salford
|
91.4
|
34
|
90.6
|
35
|
87.1
|
36
|
88.0
|
35
|
90.0
|
35
|
90.1
|
35
|
|
Manchester
|
89.6
|
36
|
90.3
|
36
|
89.1
|
35
|
87.3
|
36
|
89.1
|
36
|
90.0
|
36
|
Merseyside council tax collection rates
|
|
2003/04
|
2004/05
|
2005/06
|
2006/07
|
2007/08
|
2008/09
|
|
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
%
|
Rank
|
|
Knowsley
|
96.0
|
3
|
96.8
|
2
|
97.5
|
1
|
97.5
|
1
|
97.4
|
1
|
96.9
|
1=
|
|
Liverpool
|
90.1
|
5
|
93.0
|
5
|
94.3
|
5
|
95.5
|
5
|
95.7
|
5
|
95.8
|
5
|
|
Sefton
|
95.1
|
4
|
95.6
|
4
|
96.1
|
4
|
96.4
|
3
|
96.4
|
4
|
96.4
|
4
|
|
St Helens
|
97.2
|
2
|
96.6
|
3
|
96.9
|
3
|
97.1
|
2
|
97.0
|
2
|
96.9
|
1=
|
|
Wirral
|
97.3
|
1
|
97.4
|
1
|
97.4
|
2
|
96.3
|
4
|
96.6
|
3
|
96.7
|
3
|