Issue - meetings

Due to the timescales and print deadlines, the recommendations of the meeting of Cabinet held on 13 February 2024 will be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting of Council.

Item CB 24/24 referred from Cabinet of 13 February 2024.  It was proposed by Cllr Boughton and seconded by Cllr Coffin that the recommendation of Cabinet be approved.

RESOLVED:  That the draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024/25 (attached as Annex 1) be approved.

A report providing the proposed Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Working Age Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024/25, requesting Cabinet Members to approve and recommend the updated Scheme to Full Council.

Consideration was given to the Draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024/25 (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 National Living 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 the council tax support fund for 2023/24 to mitigate increases in council tax for low income households ended on 31 March 2024 and currently there was no indication for a renewed Scheme for 2024/25.

*RECOMMENDED:  That the draft Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024/25 (attached at Annex 1) be commended to the Council for adoption.

 *Recommended to Council