Council Tax Officer / Revenues & Benefits Officer

Council Tax Officer / Revenues & Benefits Officer
Location: 1 Catford Road, Catford, London, SE6 4RU
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Duration: 13+ months
Working Hours: Mon Fri, 09 00 2 days remote, 3 days office-based
Pay Rate: £ 21.45 Per Hour
Job Ref: OR22046

Job Responsibilities

• Administer Council Tax and other revenue accounts in line with legislation and Council procedures

• Recover outstanding debts efficiently and in accordance with statutory regulations

• Prepare and present cases at Magistrates , County and High Court hearings and relevant tribunals

• Represent the Council in court, including liability order, committal, charging order, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings

• Remain at court until all listed cases have concluded

• Liaise with courts, enforcement agents, solicitors and other external partners to progress recovery actions

• Instruct and monitor Enforcement Agents and report on their performance

• Deal with customer enquiries by telephone, email, correspondence and face to face

• Handle complex cases and complaints professionally and within agreed timescales

• Process applications for discounts, exemptions and reliefs, ensuring fraud prevention controls are followed

• Prepare statutory documents, warrants, statutory demands and court applications as required

• Maintain accurate records, case notes, statistics and system data to meet audit requirements

• Identify irrecoverable debt and submit write-off requests in line with delegated authority

• Ensure compliance with GDPR and information governance requirements

• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external organisations to support revenue collection

• Contribute to service improvements, quality checks and procedural reviews

• Provide guidance and mentoring to junior staff when required

Person Specification
Must-Have Requirements

• Eligible to work in the UK

• Minimum of 3 years work history and references

• Proven experience in council tax recovery or similar statutory debt recovery work

• Experience of preparing and presenting cases in Magistrates , County or High Courts

• Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, enforcement procedures and recovery processes

• Ability to manage difficult cases and communicate effectively with customers and stakeholders

• Willingness to travel to courts outside the borough when required

• Flexibility with working hours on court days

• Signed confidentiality agreement

• Completed criminal convictions declaration

Nice-to-Have Requirements

• Experience working within a local authority revenues service

• Experience managing or overseeing Enforcement Agents

• Knowledge of insolvency, bankruptcy and committal proceedings

• Familiarity with revenue systems and court documentation processes

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