Prepaid Card Services - Find a freedom of information request

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, regarding Prepaid card services.

By 'Prepaid card services', I am referring to the system of preloaded payment cards used to administer funds to individuals by the council, as outlined in this Mastercard guide [Broken Link Removed]. Prepaid cards operate in a similar way to normal credit and debit cards except that funds are preloaded onto the cards by the Council and then spent by the card holder until the balance is exhausted. A common use for Prepaid card services is to issue payments for Council services such as: social care, children direct payments etc.

Please provide information answering the following questions:

1. How much (in GB sterling) did the council spend on its Prepaid cards services, annually, between (and including) 2010 and 2020?

2. How many individuals received funds through prepaid cards from the council annually between (and including) 2010 and 2020?

3. Between (and including) 2010 and 2020, in respect of each public tender run by Lincolnshire County Council, what bids did Lincolnshire County Council receive from suppliers applying to provide the council's Prepaid card services? By 'suppliers', I am referring to any third party offering to provide Lincolnshire County Council with prepayment cards and run or manage the operation of Prepaid card services in return for a fee.

1 & 2. Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) only started using prepaid cards in 2015. The below figures cover Adult Care & Childrens Services.

3. LCC utilised the attached Framework and ran a mini-competition in 2016. Two bids were received. One later withdrew. The contract therefore awarded to All Pay.