FOI Request - Use of Cash for Council Services

Request 101002856855

1. Has the council stopped accepting cash payments in any of the following areas of council business?
a. Housing
b. Welfare
c. Tax payments
d. Childcare
e. Adult education & skills training
f. Educational support (such as learning support or council-provided tuition)
g. Leisure/sport
h. Parking
i. Health, social care, dentistry or mental health services (please specify)
j. Payments to schools (including school meals)
k. The council is completely ‘cashless’ (cash is not used for any payments across council business)
2. If you answered yes to any question from 1(a) through 1(j), does the council have records of the number of payments made by cash prior to the cessation of accepting cash? If so, please provide these. If possible, please provide these figures for the three years prior to cessation, in yearly intervals.
3. If you answered yes to question 1(g), does the council have records of the number of people who have been refused access to leisure or sport facilities due to being unable to make non-cash payments? If so, please provide these figures for each year since the council stopped accepting cash.
4. If you answered yes to question 1(j) (that the council no longer accepts cash for school meals), does the council have records of the number of students buying school meals in 12 months before and after the switch to cashless was made? If so, please provide these, broken down by month.
5. If you answered ‘no’ to question 1(g), does your council have any plans to move toward exclusively taking non-cash payments for council services?
6. Please provide a breakdown of the payment methods used for the services listed in question 1.

Response 25-08-2021

1.            No
2.            N/A
3.            N/A
4.            N/A
5.            No
6.            Cash payments can be made at a paypoint or payment cards can be issued depending on service provided. We also accept online card payments, direct debits, standing orders, and cheques.  Customers can also pay via telephone - the Council has an automated secure telephone system or the customer can phone the Contact Centre to speak to an advisor.  Cash is not to be sent through the post. Link to web page can be found here.

School meals - online payments through Ipay system for Primary & Secondary schools, cash & cheque payments at each school kitchen. All car park machines accept cash, 31% of the car park machines accept card payments and all pay and display car parks have the Pay by Phone App.