Issue - meetings

The Executive resolved as follows:

1. To note the impact of the Scheme to date as set out in paragraphs 5.6 and 5.7.

2. To recommend Council to agree the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2019/20 as set out in Appendix 2d, to the Executive report.

3. To recommend to Council that the reduction applied to working age claimants remains the same as the 2018/19 Scheme agreed by Council on 24 January 2018 and that the main elements and method of calculating awards will be the same with the exception of:

•          Ensuring that applicants who are protected under the current scheme continue to be protected to the same level of support when they move to Universal Credit

•          Extension of the group of customers who pay 13.56% to claimants or partners who are:

•          in receipt of  Jobseeker’s Allowance Contribution Based.

•          in receipt of Main Phase Employment and Support Allowance and are in the Work Related Activity Group.

•          in receipt of Maximum Universal Credit and neither employed, self-employed or in receipt of any other income which is taken into account when calculating their Universal Credit award (such as an Occupational Pension or other unearned income).

•          in receipt of Universal Credit which includes either the limited capability for work and/ or work related activity.

4. To recommend that the Council agrees to continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship as set out at Appendix 2a, to the Executive report. 

5. To note at this point in time the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may still issue changes to the known position for the National Pensioner Scheme. Required changes would then be incorporated into the final Scheme presented for adoption at Council on 30 January 2019.