Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision: To consider the proposals for the localisation of support for Council Tax.

 

Decision of the Executive Councillor for Customer Services and Resources;

 

The Executive Councillor resolved to recommend to Council that

 

i.        The proposed localised Council Tax Support Scheme, as set out in the committee report, be approved to be put forward to Council for its approval at the meeting to be held on 9th January 2013.

 

ii.       The proposals to take advantage of new powers set out in the Local Government Finance Act 2012 (amending the Local Government Finance Act 1992) to vary statutory exemptions from Council Tax in respect of vacant and unoccupied dwellings, as set out in paragraph 5.2 of the committee report, be approved (Annex A of the committee report provides background information).

 

iii.          Authority be delegated to the Director of Customer and Community Services to make minor amendments to the scheme. Major amendments or fundamental changes will be referred to Executive Councillor, Chair and Oppositions Spokes of the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

 

iv.           Authority be delegated to the Head of Revenues and Benefits, to make the detailed arrangements required to implement the proposed localised Council Tax Support Scheme and the variations to the exemptions from Council Tax.

 

v.          Authority be delegated to the Director of Resources to calculate and approve the Council Tax Base for 2013/14 and to notify precepting bodies by 31 January 2013.

 

 

Reason for the decision;

 

As per the officers report.

 

Any alternative options considered and rejected:

 

Not applicable

 

Scrutiny Considerations

 

The committee received a report from the Head of Revenues and Benefits regarding the “Localisation of Support for Council Tax”.

 

The committee made the following comments

 

i.          Clarification on the accuracy of the modelling. The Director of Customer and Community Services explained that this was a new process and that the models used were based on the best available assumptions.

 

ii.          Clarification was requested on Class C exemptions, and it was suggested that the new time limit of one month (previously 6 months) was not flexible enough for all circumstances for example where the landlord has died.  

 

iii.      The proposal to not decrease the level of support for vulnerable groups was welcomed, particularly as some authorities were reducing support by 25%/30%.

 

iv.          Further information was requested on how fraudulent activities were tackled. The Head of Revenues and Benefits acknowledge that it was a difficult area to tackle, but that single person discounts were regularly reviewed and that the council undertook a number of anti fraud initiatives.

 

v.       It was requested that the option to pay 12 instead of 10 months was promoted openly. The Head of Revenues and Benefits noted the comment.

 

Officers were thanked for their hard work and developing a solution which had resulted in no change to the level of support.

 

 

The Scrutiny Committee considered the recommendations and endorsed them by 4 votes 0.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

 

Conflict of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

 

N/A