Decision details

To agree to continue the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme framework.

Matter for Decision

From April 2013, local authorities across England were given the power to devise their own systems of Council Tax Support for working-age adults. It replaced the national system of the Council Tax Benefit which ensured that the poorest households received help to pay Council Tax.

The current local scheme met the Council’s commitment to protect as many people as possible from any decrease in the level of Council Tax Reduction support.

The purpose of the report was to undertake the annual review of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and to decide whether the Scheme should be revised, replaced or continued for the financial year 2018-2019.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources:

     i.        Agreed to continue the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme framework with changes in applicable amounts and premiums as defined within the local scheme which supported low-paid workers already struggling to cope with stagnant wages, rising living costs and on-going Welfare Reforms that impacted on tax credits and other in-work support.

    ii.        Agreed to a significant review of the current scheme during spring 2018 to reflect the rollout of Universal Credit Full Service, to include a review of Local Council Tax Discounts and Premiums.

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Head of Revenues and Benefits.

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

     i.        Sought clarification regarding how the scheme would work with the introduction of Universal Credit.

    ii.        Asked if Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) had given any indication of when the funding for Universal Credit was likely to be received.

The Head of Revenues and Benefits and Benefit Manager said the following in response to Members’ questions:

     i.        They were mindful of the roll out of Universal Credit, however the date to introduce Universal Credit had already moved once which could happen again. This highlighted the difficulty of rolling out a complex project against others which have fluid deadlines.

    ii.        Confirmed that DWP had not given any indication about funding, they had planned to monitor the progress of other authorities first. DWP had agreed to inform software suppliers 6 months in advance of the start date so that would be some form of indicator.

   iii.        Any changes to the scheme would require consultation first.

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.