Issue - meetings

This item is due to be pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Budget Scrutiny Working Group scheduled to take place on 2^nd January 2024.  Any recommendations in respect of this report, subject to the endorsement of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will be reported to the Executive Committee in a supplementary pack for this meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Enabling presented the Final Council Tax Support Scheme 2024/25 for Members’ consideration. During the presentation it was stated that under section 13A(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (LGFA ’92) the Council was required to operate a Council Tax Reduction Scheme specifying the reductions in Council Tax that was provided to people who were in financial need.

The existing scheme included a provision for the uprating of income bands by an inflation factor decided by the Council. Changes to income bands were made in accordance with the existing scheme and would not require consultation but would be subject to approval of Council.  These increases would be based on the increases in benefit levels as stated in the Chancellor’s Speech on 22^nd November 2023 which was set at 6.7%.

During consideration of this report, it was noted that the Portfolio Holder’s name within the report was incorrect, and Officers undertook to rectify this for the future.

Following the presentation of the report Members felt that this was a good scheme that benefitted the residents of Redditch.

RECOMMENDED that

1)    The Council Tax Reduction Scheme be retained for 2024-25 tax year, subject to uprating of income bands by 6.7%.