The Portfolio Holder for Finance presented the updated report which had previously been deferred from the last meeting.  Since that meeting Officers had carried out further work to take on board previous comments and make the consultation more user friendly.  As requested the HERO Officers had been consulted, and the number of options to consider, reduced.

The Chief Finance Officer summarised the report.  As outlined within the report, Kent district councils were working together in order to achieve a common framework in respect of the review of the local CTR schemes.  Each district council needed to individually agree the terms for consultation.  If any significant issues arise through the ‘group approach’, Cabinet would be updated.  He further clarified that the purpose of the report was to agree the options that were to be consulted on.

As previously requested a short explanatory video had been produced which was presented to Members.

Members welcomed the new proposed consultation subject to some amended wording on the first page, and were pleased with the video.

Public Sector Equality Duty

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty, attached as Appendix C to the report, and that residents may fall into more than one category of affected person.

Resolved:  That

a)            the work undertaken to date and the Kent Finance Officers’ group recommendation that any new Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme should be based on the current scheme but with a series of potential modifications upon which we should consult, be noted;

b)            for the 2017/18 Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme, starting on 1^st April 2017, a consultation be launched on the potential introduction of a range of modifications to the current CTR scheme for working age claimants as follows:

i)              reduce the maximum level of CTR for working-age applicants from 81.5% of their Council Tax liability to 80% (Option 1);

ii)            remove the Family Premium for all new working age applicants (Option 2);

iii)          reduce the backdating provision from 6 months to 1 month (Option 3);

iv)           introduce a ‘Minimum Income Floor’ for self-employed claimants after their first year of trading (Option 4);

v)             reduce the period for which a person can be absent from Great Britain and still receive CTR from 13 weeks to 4 weeks; (Option 5)

vi)           remove the Work Related Activity Component (WRAC) in the calculation of CTR for new claims from working-age claimants who are in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (Option 6);

vii)         limit the dependent child addition used in the calculation of CTR to a maximum of two children (Option 7);

viii)       exclude foreign nationals with limited immigration status (Persons from Abroad) from receiving CTR (Option 8);

ix)           introduce a scheme to help claimants suffering exceptional financial hardship (Option 9).

c)         through the consultation, seek views on other ways of meeting the demands highlighted through the report other than changing the existing CTR Scheme.

d)        the Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) at Appendix C, be noted;  and

e)        the proposed arrangements for the consultation, be endorsed.