Each financial year, the council is required by law to consider whether to revise its scheme or replace it with a different scheme.

Following a full public consultation, this report recommends changes to the council’s Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2019-2020.

The recommendations were amended and then agreed.

DECISION

1.    To note the feedback from the consultation on the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

2.    To note the options to revise the current scheme.

3.    To agree the amended Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme be recommended to Council for consideration subject to the following change:

a.    That Recommendation 5 set out in the proposed report to Council is not taken forward. (5. To agree to use the same child allowances in the local Council Tax Reduction scheme assessments as those used in Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit and the Local Council Tax Reduction assessments for pensioners and to apply this in respect of third or successive children born after April 2019).

Action by:

ACTING CORPORATE DIRECTOR, RESOURCES (N. MURTON)

(Head of Benefit Services (S. Hill)

(Benefits Policy and Procedures Manager (L. Fearon)