Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Resources and Transformation)/Section 151 Officer attached.

RESOLVED (Unanimously):

1.    That Cabinet notes the legal position regarding the decision taken at Budget Council on 28 February 2018.

2.    That Cabinet proposes to Council that the Council Tax Support Scheme remains unchanged for 2019/2020.

3.    That Cabinet proposes to Council that it agrees the level of the deduction to be applied to Working Age recipients of Council Tax Support from 1 April 2019 and that this level be finalised and agreed in accordance with South Ribble’s scheme as part of the Council’s budget and council tax setting at the Council meeting on 27 February 2019.  The figure will continue within the range (between £3.00 and £5.00 per week) which was consulted upon during the introduction and implementation of the Council’s scheme.

4.    Delegated authority be granted to the Director of Customer and Digital in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance to make all necessary updates to this Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme to comply with any prescribed requirements that may be issued by central government.  This may be by the making of specific regulations, or by amendment to the Local Government Finance Acts of 1992, 2012 and 2017 and Government funding formulae.

5.    Delegated authority be granted to the Director of Customer and Digital in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance to make all necessary amendments to the Council’s scheme to uprate the allowances and premiums in accordance with the revised Housing Benefit Circular. 

6.    To publish the updated scheme in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 2012 and any regulation amendments.

The Deputy Chief Executive (Resources and Transformation)/Section 151 Officer presented a report reviewing the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2019/2020 and clarifying the legal position. It also identified the number of policy changes following the Chancellors Autumn Statement.

Questions raised from outside Cabinet were:

·         How quickly the Council Tax Support Scheme can be changed?

o   The Deputy Chief Executive advised this would be subject to the consultation process and agreement by a future Cabinet and Council.

·         Increased use of bailiffs and how many of these cases related to the Council Tax Support Scheme?

o    The Deputy Chief Executive (Resources and Transformation)/Section 151 Officer undertook to provide the numbers to the Member outside the meeting.

o   He also advised that bailiff numbers are not separated to identify those on the support scheme. Detailed information would be provided in future Council Tax Support Scheme updates.

·         Have we implemented the six recommendations of the Money Advice Trust?

o   Three had been implemented and the remainder would be highlighted in future reports.

Decision made (Unanimously):

1.    That Cabinet notes the legal position regarding the decision taken at Budget Council on 28 February 2018.

2.    That Cabinet proposes to Council that the Council Tax Support Scheme remains unchanged for 2019/2020.

3.    That Cabinet proposes to Council that it agrees the level of the deduction to be applied to Working Age recipients of Council Tax Support from 1 April 2019 and that this level be finalised and agreed in accordance with South Ribble’s scheme as part of the Council’s budget and council tax setting at the Council meeting on 27 February 2019.  The figure will continue within the range (between £3.00 and £5.00 per week) which was consulted upon during the introduction and implementation of the Council’s scheme.

4.    Delegated authority be granted to the Director of Customer and Digital in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance to make all necessary updates to this Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme to comply with any prescribed requirements that may be issued by central government.  This may be by the making of specific regulations, or by amendment to the Local Government Finance Acts of 1992, 2012 and 2017 and Government funding formulae.

5.    Delegated authority be granted to the Director of Customer and Digital in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance to make all necessary amendments to the Council’s scheme to uprate the allowances and premiums in accordance with the revised Housing Benefit Circular. 

6.    To publish the updated scheme in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 2012 and any regulation amendments.

Reason(s) for the decision:

To approve the Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme for the financial year 2019/20 which serves to assist citizens on a low income with the cost of council tax. 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The original consultation exercise considered a number of alternatives to reducing the amounts that claimants received in their council tax support.  These included reducing council services and increasing levels of council tax.