Issue - meetings

This report sets out a number of options which need to be considered in relation to the Council’s preferred Council Tax Support scheme to replace Council Tax Benefits with effect from April 2013. It also describes options for adopting new discretionary powers for setting discounts and exemptions to Council Tax against a range of changes proposed by new technical reforms to council tax which also come in to effect from April 2013.

Peter Duppa-Miller (Secretary of the B&NES Local Councils Association) in an ad hoc statement referred to paragraphs 3.10 and 9.4 of the report and asked that the provision of information to, and the consultation with, the Parish and Town Councils commences at the earliest opportunity so that they may be better prepared for their individual processes for setting their 2013/2014 Precepts.

Councillor David Bellotti in proposing the item, referred to appendix 2 of the report and to the fact that he considered that option 3 was the least complex option, which would make it more likely that fraud could be identified.  He emphasised that the Cabinet was being asked to start a consultation on the proposals and that the timetable for consultation was laid out in appendix 1 of the report.

Councillor Paul Crossley seconded the proposal.

On a motion from Councillor David Bellotti, seconded by Councillor Paul Crossley, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(1) To AGREE in principle that a cost neutral Council Tax Support scheme, which supports the objective of simplicity, to protect vulnerable people and minimise the impact on incentives to work, should be adopted;

(2) To AGREE that Option 3 of the Council Tax Support scheme proposals as set out in Appendix 2 of the report will be developed in to a policy document for consultation and approval in accordance with the required timetable;

(3) To AGREE that Work will be carried out to develop a more detailed understanding of the wider impacts on various customer types and equalities impacts during the consultation process;

(4) To NOTE that by adopting a simplified scheme we focus administrative activity on preventing fraudulent claims entering the system and enable effective detection principles; and

(5) To AGREE that the financial implications be factored into the budget process for 2013/2014 to be considered by the Council in February 2013, and the Council Tax base setting to be considered by Council in November.