Issue - meetings

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director Community and Resources which outlined the work of the National Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) and the current level of activity in Halton.

            The IMLT was based in Birmingham Trading Standards and had the responsibility to investigate loan shark activity across England and to support the victims. A documented protocol existed between the IMLT and individual Trading Standards Services which allowed the team to operate in the local authority area.

            Nationally, the IMLT had secured more than 332 prosecutions for illegal money lending and related activity, leading to nearly 212 years worth of custodial sentences. They had written off over £63m worth of illegal debt and helped over 26,000 people.

            Members were advised on the current position within Halton and previous examples of illegal money lending which had led to prosecution. The IMLT had no reports of loan shark activity in Halton for the last 12 months. However, this was not consistent with anecdotal information from Halton Credit Union whose members had mentioned loan activity to them. Whilst Halton Credit Union encouraged anybody of knowledge of loan sharks to report it to the IMLT, it appeared that most people were reluctant to do so.

            Halton Trading Standards, Halton Credit Union and the IMLT would be working together on an approach to assist and encourage members to report loan sharks anonymously.

            Recent initiatives included:-

·                     awareness raising across the Borough with the IMLT working with Social Landlords who had included items in their newsletters;

·                     the IMLT continued to work closely with the Police in terms of intelligence sharing;

·                     adult Safeguarding Teams had been trained by IMLT; and

·                     the IMLT and Halton Trading Standards had been a part of Halton’s Financial Abuse Working Group and had contributed to Halton’s Financial Abuse Toolkit; and

·                     IMLT had developed lesson plans to teach financial education to primary and secondary schools.

            Arising from the discussion it was suggested that Trading Standards contact Officers in the People and Family directorate to put an item in the Education bulletin which is circulated to schools.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.