To consider a report of the Cabinet

The Council had been required to implement a local council tax support scheme that would also meet a 10% reduction in central Government expenditure. A consultation on the scheme had been carried out with local residents and a share of £100 million funding would be available to assist the transition from council tax benefit to local council tax support.

The report before the Council included details of the proposed Scheme, an Equality Assessment and details of the responses received to consultation undertaken by the Council on the scheme proposals. The Mayor reminded Members of their obligation to take account of these supporting documents when coming to a decision on the report’s recommendations.

The recommendations of Cabinet were APPROVED without division and it was RESOLVED that:

1.         The proposed local council tax support scheme as set out in Appendix 3 of the minutes be adopted.

2.         The proposals to vary the discounts in respect of certain classes of empty dwellings as summarised in Appendix A of the report be adopted.

3.         The responses to consultation on council tax support and the council tax technical reforms be noted.

4.         The financial pressure of a £1.9 million reduction in government grant for council tax support in 2013/14 be noted.

5.         The content of the transitional grant scheme be noted and the band D restriction to local council tax support be deferred to April 2014.

6.         The delegation of responsibility to make any minor and consequential changes necessary to the detailed provision as a result of any changes to the draft regulations upon which the scheme is based to the Director of Finance & Commerce and the Portfolio Lead Member, be approved so far as the Council is concerned.

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Cabinet Member for Value, introduced the report.

Previous reports to Cabinet had raised awareness of the Government’s intention to abolish the national Council Tax Benefit Scheme and enable Local Authorities to replace it with new local schemes from April 2013.

It was explained that Local Authorities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36