Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance & Assets

RESOLVED

i)          To approve an additional discretionary discount of up to £150.00 per household for working age claimants in 2021/22.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

ii)         To set up a budget for 2021/22 comprising the County Council’s share of payments and the remainder coming from a share of Horsham District Council’s Council Tax support grant and any residual hardship grant from 2020/21.

iii)        To delegate to the Director of Corporate Resources the finalisation of the exact sums involved during 2021/22 provided they do not exceed the £145,981 Horsham District Council grant and any carry forward from 2020/21.

REASON

i)        County’s offer to part fund this support will help our most vulnerable working age families in a year when their income is likely to be adversely affected.

ii)       A budget is needed to allow these transactions to take place.

iii)        The full cost of this scheme is not yet known because vulnerable customers in this group are likely to move in and out of work during the year.  This delegation will allow the Director to ensure customers get the help agreed against a varying budget level.

The Cabinet Member for Finance & Assets introduced the report on the Council Tax Support Grant.  Local authorities had received this as part of a settlement to compensate for council tax that had been lost due to an increase in Council Tax Reduction Scheme claimants caused by the pandemic. 

Last year WSCC had used their grant to set up a joint scheme with districts and boroughs in the county that gave claimants extra discounts of up to £150.  WSCC had proposed that this scheme continues for 2021/22. 

The Cabinet Member asked Cabinet to support WSCC’s proposal to continue the scheme for another year, and to set up a budget made of WSCC’s contribution, HDC’s Council Tax Support Grant and any residual hardship grant from 2020/21.

RESOLVED

i)       To approve an additional discretionary discount of up to £150.00 per household for working age claimants in 2021/22.

To recommend to Council:

ii)      To set up a budget for 2021/22 comprising the County Council’s share of payments and the remainder coming from a share of Horsham District Council’s Council Tax support grant and any residual hardship grant from 2020/21.

iii)    To delegate to the Director of Corporate Resources the finalisation of the exact sums involved during 2021/22 provided they do not exceed the £145,981 Horsham District Council grant and any carry forward from 2020/21.

REASON

i)     County’s offer to part fund this support will help our most vulnerable working age families in a year when their income is likely to be adversely affected.

ii)    A budget is needed to allow these transactions to take place.

iii)   The full cost of this scheme is not yet known because vulnerable customers in this group are likely to move in and out of work during the year.  This delegation will allow the Director to ensure customers get the help agreed against a varying budget level.