Have your say on new proposals for council tax support in East Devon
East Devon residents are being asked to have their say on how much the council should pay towards the council tax bills of working age householders on low incomes who live in the district.
Earlier this month East Devon District Council began a six week consultation about proposed changes to the working-age Council Tax Reduction Scheme which sets out a framework on how much council tax support can be claimed by these households. The council reviews the reduction scheme every year.
This year, the council is consulting on making three changes to the scheme and the proposed amendments are being drafted to bring the scheme in line with the Government’s latest welfare reforms to housing benefits and Universal Credit. The changes will not affect pensioners.
The three changes being proposed will:
- Simplify the scheme for people receiving Universal Credit
- Disregard the Bereavement Support Payment from the calculation of Council Tax Support, which makes it fairer to applicants who have recently lost a partner and align the scheme with changes already made in Housing Benefit.
- Disregard charitable payments received from the recent tragedies in Manchester and London, so that applicants can continue to receive Council Tax Support.
- The proposed changes will affect working age households in East Devon who receive or will apply for council tax reduction from 1 April 2018.
The council wants to know what you think about these proposed changes by 22 October 2017. To have your say you need to complete a questionnaire which you can do online at http://eastdevon.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/council-tax-support-scheme-...
If you need a paper copy of the questionnaire, or a copy in any other format please contact the Benefits team on 01395 571665.
Cllr Ian Thomas, the council’s portfolio holder for finance, said: “We are seeking everyone’s view on these draft changes to the scheme, not just those who are affected.
“We need to know how our residents want us to spend their council tax and what level of help we should give. Above all, we want to ensure that these changes are introduced in a way that treats people fairly.”
The responses to the consultation will be available on the council’s website later this year and will help the council in its final decision about the scheme which will be made no later than 31 January 2018.
