Decision details

The Welfare Reform Act 2012 abolished Council Tax Benefit (CTB), billing authorities were required to adopt a new local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) by 31^st January 2013 to take effect from 1^st April 2013, and the Council formally adopted the 2013-14 Scheme at full Council on 23 January 2013.

The legislation requires that billing authorities formally adopt the Scheme on an annual basis.

This report outlines the proposed 2016-17 local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) which will apply to working age claimants and the options available to the Council.

The report highlights any changes to the CTRS Scheme which accommodate wider welfare benefit changes made by Central Government.

It is also proposed that the discretionary hardship fund should continue to be made available through the Discretionary Discount Policy.

The Executive resolved as follows:

1. To recommend to the Council to agree to continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy for Council Tax to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship as set out at Section 3 of Appendix 2a, to the Executive report. 

2. To recommend to the Council that the reduction applied to Working Age claimants remains at 27.11% for the 2016/17 Scheme and that the main elements and method of calculating awards previously agreed by Council on 21^st  January 2015 will remain the same.