Issue - meetings

This report seeks approval to the re-adoption of the existing Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme by Full Council for 2015/2016. 

Discussion:

This report provided details of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2015/2016, as required under Schedule 1A to the Local Government Finance Act 1992, including amendments to the Scheme, as set out in Appendix 4 to the report.

The Cabinet considered this report on 16 December 2014 and its comments were set out in paragraph 5 of the report.

Appendix 4 to the report was included in Supplementary Agenda No.1.

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Jarrett, supported by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Rodney Chambers OBE, proposed the recommendation in the report.

Councillor Maple, supported by Councillor Griffiths, proposed the following amendment:

“Add new recommendation 8.2

Council instructs officers to carry out a new Diversity Impact Assessment (DIA) to determine the impact of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme”. It was clarified that the findings of the DIA should be presented alongside the scheme when it is next presented for approval in 2016.

Under Council Rule 11.4.2, the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Deputy Leader, Councillor Jarrett, with the consent of the Council and the seconder of the motion, agreed to add this amendment to the substantive motion.

Decision:

a)     The Council agreed to adopt the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme as set out in Appendix 4 to the report.

b)     The Council instructed officers to carry out a new Diversity Impact Assessment to determine the impact of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Background:

This report sought approval of the re-adoption of the existing local council tax reduction scheme (CTRS) for 2015/2016.

The current Medway scheme had been agreed at Full Council on 24 January 2014 and consisted of two parts. The first made provision for non-pensioners, which was at Members’ discretion, and the other made provision for pensioners that was made on a national basis and in line with previous awards of council tax benefit. The key aspects of the CTRS were:

·              Any entitlement to a reduction was based on a means test, by taking into consideration a customer’s income and comparing this with any personal allowances, premiums and disregards to which they may be entitled;

·              Only 75% of council tax liability was used to assess Council Tax Support;

·              A minimum deduction was made in respect of non-dependants to include any such person in the household, aged 18 years or more;

·              Those in receipt of a war widow or war disablement pension received the same protection as pensioners.

It was noted that for each financial year, the Council must consider whether to revise its scheme or to replace it with a replacement scheme and any revisions to the CTRS or a replacement CTRS must be the subject of consultation.

To maintain the balance between the council tax reduction scheme and the allowances to which claimants were entitled, Full Council had amended the original scheme on 24 January 2014, following public consultation, so that it was uprated on an annual basis in line with national changes (decision number 748/2014). As the April 2015 allowances would not be announced until January 2015 the current allowances were set out at Appendix 1 to the report but would be updated in the report to Full Council.

Reasons:

The scheme continues to balance the need for supporting those currently in receipt of CTRS and the ability of the Council to fund the scheme within the current budgetary constraints.