Dukes Bailiffs’ work for award-winning Knowsley Borough Council on Housing Benefit overpayment and Sundry Debt has directly contributed to its position as the top performing Metropolitan Council in the joint collection of Council Tax and Business Rates according to Principal Revenues Manager Tracy Hargreaves.

Dukes first approached the authority in 2004, aware that the Knowsley Revenues team covered all areas of income collection, with a proposal to pilot the collection of Housing Benefit overpayments and Sundry Debt on a commission basis.

Although the authority had not worked with the company before, it became clear that Dukes had a good understanding of the performance levels required and also knowledge of the area. Knowsley is the 5th most deprived area in the Index of Multiple Deprivation and its working residents earn around £70 less per week than the national average, but with 7% more Income Support claimants than the UK as a whole.

In 2007 Dukes tendered for the full contract and were one of just two companies to be appointed from an extensive list of quality competitors. Tracy Hargreaves recalls that Duke’s offer to assist in the collection of Sundry Debt and Housing Benefit overpayments came at exactly the right time:

Managing Director of Dukes Bailiffs and Chairman of the Association of Civil Enforcement Agencies Colin Naylor says that the company was always aware that Knowsley set the highest standards for its suppliers.

Knowsley Borough Council’s work was recognised in 2010 by a commendation from the Cabinet Office as a site of best practice following their award of Customer Service Excellence in January. This was followed in October by winning The Institute of Revenues, Rating and

Valuation’s prestigious Revenues Team of the Year award, presented at the organisation’s annual conference in Harrogate.

Knowsley’s Revenues Team has been recognised as the best in the field and Dukes Bailiffs looks forward to many more years working in partnership with them.