The Bacs LA Direct Debit Challenge Awards programme is designed to reward UK council tax collection teams that have actively increased the use of Direct Debit in their local area and improved overall awareness of the benefits inherent in using automated payments. Since they were first introduced, Bacs’ awards have achieved industry notoriety, with previous winners cited as champions of best practice in payment collection by organisations including The Audit Commission. 

This year there are nine Bacs Local Authority Direct Debit Challenge Awards available in four distinct categories:

• The first six accolades come under the banner of council tax and will be given to local authorities that can demonstrate the greatest percentage growth in Direct Debit usage between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007.

• The next available award is for business rates. This recognises councils that have seen the highest increase in Direct Debit penetration from commercial customers in the preceding 12 months. There will be one sole winner in this area.

• This year there is also a new entrant award targeting councils that have not previously entered the programme. The winner will be the local authority that can demonstrate the greatest percentage increase in Direct Debit usage within their local area.

• Finally, and in recognition of the creative flair councils often demonstrate in promoting Direct Debit, Bacs will recognise a single council in the marketing campaign achievement category.

Commenting on the 2007 launch, Michael Chambers, managing director at Bacs, said: “In 2006, more than 142 million council tax and business rates payments were made by Direct Debit – this is a record figure and the fifth consecutive year in which we have seen an increase. With councils collectively spending an estimated £1 billion on chasing payments every year*, encouraging commercial and residential tax payers to adopt Direct Debit as their preferred payment method can offer Councils huge operational efficiencies. We are delighted that an increasing number of local authorities are taking this on board. Since their inception in the early 1990s, our LA Direct Debit Challenge Awards have rewarded over 110 councils. We are always delighted with the volume of entrants to the programme, the enthusiasm demonstrated and the calibre of submissions. We look forward to receiving record entries this year and to working more closely with organisations in the sector in the future.” 

The Bacs LA Direct Debit Challenge Awards are free to enter and open to all local authorities in the UK. In order to ensure the awards are judged fairly, local authorities will be measured against organisations with a similar profile and reach. To find out which category your authority falls into, interested parties should go to: www.bacs.co.uk/businesses/awards+and+events/LA+challenge/entry+details. Submitting an entry is easy. Authorities interested in participating can download a Bacs LA Direct Debit Challenge Award entry form from www.bacs.co.uk/businesses/awards+and+events/LA+challenge/entry+details. The final closing date for submissions is 3 August 2007. 

All entrants will be put forward for a free prize draw where money can be won for the local authorities’ charity of choice. Entrants submitting their forms before 13 July could win £500, those received by 27 July will be in with a chance of winning £250 and participants that enter before the final closing date of 3 August could win £100. Entries submitted early will be entered into all three draws. 

The nine award winners will be notified in advance and the results will be officially announced at an awards ceremony at the IRRV Annual Conference in Brighton, in October.
 

* Figure obtained from Audit Commission Report – Improving Income Collection – May 2006

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