Issue - meetings

Due to the timescale and print deadlines, the recommendations of the meeting of Cabinet held on 14 February 2023 will be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting of Council.

Annex 1 – Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme is attached as a supplement due to its size.

Item CB 23/12 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 February 2023.

RESOLVED: That the draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 (attached as Annex 1) be approved.

A report providing the proposed Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Working Age Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24, requesting Cabinet Members to approve and recommend the updated Scheme to Full Council.

Consideration was given to the Draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 (attached at Annex 1 to the report) which had been revised to bring it in line with statutory prescribed requirements, housing benefit and other national benefit rates and increases to income bands where uplifts to the Minimum Wage, a component of the income band level calculation, had been taken into account.  The Scheme applied to working age households.

Members noted that for pension age households the separate Government Scheme prescribed maximum help up to 100% of council tax liability, a minimum requirement of a pension age scheme.

For information, Members were advised that in December 2022 Government announced a council support fund for 2023/24 to mitigate increases in council tax for low income households.  Each household receiving local council tax reduction on 1 April 2023 would receive a further discount of £25, or less if the bill was lower after the application of council tax reduction.  The discount would automatically be applied to relevant household bills.  Further details of this discount would be presented to a future meeting of the Finance, Regeneration and Property Scrutiny Select Committee.

RECOMMENDED:  That the draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 (attached at Annex 1) be commended to the Council for adoption.

*Referred to Council