Decision details

Council tax reduction scheme 2020/21

Decision Maker: Scrutiny Committee

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

To consider proposed changes for 2020/21

Decisions:

Officers Paul Howden and James Connolly presented a report on the proposed Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2020/21 which was supported by Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Andrew Crawford. The revisions proposed were to keep the scheme in line with Universal Credit – with regard to disabilities and bereavement support and to help single parents with children under five.

 

Single parents of children under five faced difficulty finding work and balancing childcare costs. Those receiving Universal Credit were not expected to work enough hours to live independently of benefits. The proposed changes to the local scheme helped alleviate what tended to be a short term hardship for single parents with young children.

 

The new proposal included widening of the definition of disability, as per Universal Credit, regarding capacity to work.

 

Currently, bereavement support payments were considered as income. The new proposal was to disregard this as income and scheme in line with other means tested schemes and minimise stress to applicants.

 

The costs were outlined in the report. The cost was viewed as minimal compared to the benefit to the public and it was considered a good strategy in the long term for the council. The committee were supportive of the proposed scheme. Public consultation was carried out and there was discussion regarding how consultations were run in general and timeliness of reports to Scrutiny Committee. The committee agreed that this should be a future agenda item.

 

Discussion was had around the three categories and how officers arrived at those particular three. Officers stated that these categories were highlighted in reports and also in day to day work as most in need. The committee asked to see all categories listed in future reports. Officers would include the equality impact assessment to the report before it was presented to Cabinet.

 

Democratic services were reviewing the 2020-2021 calendar of meetings and would consider timings for presentation of reports to scrutiny.

 

RECOMMENDED: to Cabinet;

To recommend Council to adopt the revised council tax reduction scheme.

 

RESOLVED: to

(a)  note the report and thank the finance team for their work

(b)  request a future Scrutiny Committee agenda item on how public consultations are conducted; and

(c)   request for all relevant available data to be provided in future reports

 

Report author: Paul Howden

Publication date: 23/01/2020

Date of decision: 23/01/2020

Decided at meeting: 23/01/2020 - Scrutiny Committee

Accompanying Documents:

 

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