Decision details

Benefit Take Up Campaign: Delegation for Council Tax Benefits Assessments

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Decision made

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Medway Council, in partnership with KCC, the Police, the other billing authorities in Kent and external partners will be conducting a benefits take-up campaign starting in March 2004. This report will seek to address the administarive arrangements.

Decision:

The Cabinet agreed that, in accordance with paragraph 3 of the Contracting Out (Functions of Local Authorities: Income-Related Benefits) Order 2002, Medway Council authorised Canterbury City Council to make decisions on new Council Tax Benefit applications received following a county-wide benefits take-up campaign, with effect from 1 April 2004 for 12 months.

Reasons for the decision:

This is a high profile and innovative project supported by the Department for Work and Pensions, which focuses on pensioners who may not be pursuing their full council tax benefit entitlement. The decision to authorise the delegation to Canterbury City Council was necessary to enable the lawful assessment of claims received by the project staff during the 12-month pilot.

Publication date: 09/03/2004

Date of decision: 09/03/2004

Decided at meeting: 09/03/2004 - Cabinet

Effective from: 18/03/2004

Accompanying Documents: