Cabinet Member: Councillor Downie (Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities).

The City Council will be asked to approve the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2017/18.

The minute of Cabinet held on 17 January 2017 will be submitted together with the report considered at Cabinet.

Councillor Downie (Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities) proposed and Councillor James seconded the Council Tax Support Scheme 2017/18 (Cabinet minute 52 refers).

Agreed the Council Tax Support Scheme 2017/18.

Councillor Downie introduced the Council Tax Support Scheme which includes the findings of the council tax support scheme consultation that informs the development of the revised scheme for 2017/18.  Councillor Downie highlighted a number of changes to the recommendations.

Agreed that Cabinet recommend to City Council -

1.               That the council tax support scheme is revised to -

a.                   Reduce the period a person can be absent from Great Britain and still receive Council Tax Support to 4 weeks.

b.               Remove entitlement to the Severe Disability Premium where someone with a disability is cared for by another person who receives Universal Credit with a Carer’s Element.

c.                   Remove the additional earnings disregard and apply the standard earnings disregards regardless of hours worked to those claimants who receive Universal Credit.

d.                   Assume a set minimum income within the calculation of Council Tax Support for self-employed earners after a 1 year’s self-employment (implementation delayed until 2018/19 financial year).

e.                   Remove the work related activity component in the calculation of the current scheme for new Employment and Support claimants (implementation delayed until 2018/19 financial year).

2.               To approve the revised exceptional hardship policy.