Individuals Stakeholder Forum
This forum is HMRC’s main engagement and consultation forum for the voluntary and community sector and other organisations representing the diverse needs of our individual customers.
The meetings bring people direct from the HMRC business to consult with key external stakeholders about important issues and proposed changes, inviting views to help shape our decisions.
Membership
- Action for Blind People
- Advice Northern Ireland
- Age UK
- Child Poverty Action Group
- Christians Against Poverty
- Citizens Advice
- The Money Charity
- Gingerbread
- Good Things Foundation
- Friends, Families and Travellers
- Improvements Service (supports local government in Scotland)
- Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG)
- Refugee & Migrant Centre
- Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB)
- Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)
- TaxAid
- Tax Help for Older People
- The Tax Academy
Terms of Reference
The name of the group will be the Individual Stakeholder Forum.
Purpose and responsibilities
The group will be HMRC’s main consultation forum to give a voice to the voluntary and community sector and other organisations representing individual customers.
The group will be an effective forum for HMRC to explain and explore the implications of potential changes to policies, products and processes that affect individuals and their representative bodies. It will also provide an opportunity for early review of guidance and information so that members can influence both the practical and strategic content of changes. This will recognise the diverse needs of individual customers and make sure that changes are clearly explained so that they understand what is required of them.
The group will also provide a forum through which members can raise and discuss issues or problems in administering the tax system or in relation to wider customer issues more generally with HMRC.
These issues should affect a wide range of individuals or they can be specific to a sector.
Chair/Membership
The Chair and Secretariat will be provided by HMRC Customer Directorate (Organisational Listening).
Membership is reflective and representative of the continued and changing needs of our customers. Membership will be reviewed annually in line with the terms of reference.
There will be a rule of no more than two members per organisation represented. Organisations may nominate a deputy to attend when standing members are unable to do so. Consideration will be given to organisations nominating a specialist to attend when an agenda item requires specific expertise.
Other government departments will be invited to attend when their potential changes to products and processes are identified as having an impact on individual customers.
Without being prescriptive of specific actions, the forum should be “owned” by all those attending with the shared intention of improving services to individual customers most in need of help. It should operate like a partnership.
Accountability
Meetings should be constructive and open. It will be made clear when items to be discussed are confidential and not for wider discussion.
Members will be expected to play an active role and feed information and minutes through to their organisation for onward cascade.
Working methods
Agenda items will be compiled by the secretary of the group from suggestions by both HMRC and representative bodies. AOB items should normally be suggested a week in advance of each meeting.
Meetings
Meetings will feature a mix of presentations from HMRC policy and operational representatives and discussions between HMRC staff and members of the forum.
The group will normally meet 3 times a year, but where appropriate will discuss and decide on issues by email between formal meetings. Exceptionally additional meetings may be called at short notice to discuss urgent matters.
Ad-hoc sub-groups will be set up by the forum to address specific topics and issues, then disbanded, as necessary. They will work alongside and report back to the main forum.
The secretary of the group will liaise with secretaries of other HMRC consultation forums to ensure issues are discussed in the most suitable forum, to avoid overlaps and duplication of business. Minutes from other forums and sub-groups will be shared at the meeting.
Action points will be recorded by the secretary, and representatives will be advised of progress by email between meetings.
Review
We will review and evaluate the forums every 6 to 12 months and, if required, refresh the Terms of Reference.
Meeting minutes
Please see The National Archives website for previous minutes:
Further information
If you would like further information, or find out more about whether your organisation would benefit from attending this forum, please contact Barbara Matus using the link below.