This is an information request relating to prompt payments.
Please include the information for each of the following financial years, broken down by quarter; 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22:
Devon County Council believes compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. This is because Central Government requires Local Authorities to publish this type of information on an annual basis, partly due to the complexity of analysing by any other means than a snapshot, the added complexity of changes in interest rates and to enable some form of meaningful analysis & comparison. To provide information on a quarterly basis would negate the benefits of any analysis and would take more than the 18 hour appropriate limit to prepare due to the enormous number of invoices that would need to be examined.
In the interests of providing advice and assistance, we are able to provide you with the following information which is in the form of an annual snapshot as set out below.
* The number of invoices not paid within statutory deadlines
2019/20 10,748
2020/21 12,625
2021/22 6,743
* The amount of interest accrued as a result of late payments which the council is liable for.
2019/20 £407,788.50
2020/21 £446,720.82
2021/22 £340,947.35