Decision details

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED (unanimous) to:

1.    Note the responses to the consultation on the Council Tax Support Scheme

2.    Note the continuation of the discretionary Council Tax Hardship Policy

3.    Recommend that Full Council agrees a local Council Tax Support Scheme for Peterborough that contains the following local components:

a)    No change to the existing scheme reduction of 30% for all eligible working age claimants

b)    To keep the scheme mirroring the Housing Benefit scheme as much as possible, the following amendments are also proposed:

·         to limit the award of Council Tax Support based on a maximum of 2 children;

·         to provide protection to existing claims that already include more than 2 children;

·         to make provision for more than 2 children in the applicable amount where the child tax credit calculation includes additional children; and

·         to disregard earnings from part-time fire fighters and payments from the infected blood payment scheme.

c)    To amend appropriate rates in line with annual upratings

The Council was statutorily required to approve a Council Tax Support Scheme by 11 March 2018 having had regard for the council’s financial position and feedback from responses to the consultation. As part of this consultation, the Council was consulting on a Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Policy.

The Council was statutorily required to approve a local scheme by 11 March 2018. Cabinet had discussed the current 30% Council Tax Support Scheme with the cross party Budget Working Group as part of ongoing budget discussions. Options discussed were:

·         One option was to increase the 30% scheme, however this would have a negative impact on low income households with claimants having to pay more council tax.

·         Another option was to reduce the 30% scheme, however, this would require the council to find savings of up to £2.3m from elsewhere in the budget.

None.

?      The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations 2012

?     The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

?     The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014

?     The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015

?     The Housing Benefit (Abolition of the Family Premium and date of claim amendment) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015 No. 1857)

?     The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016 No. 1262)

?     The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2017 No. 1305