Agenda item

(a)  Agreed to recommend the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 (Appendix D) to Full Council for adoption for the financial year 2023/24.

(b)  Agreed to allocate £0.040m into the Council Tax Hardship Fund and to use the Council’s £0.253m allocation of the Council Tax Support Fund to protect the current levels of support provided to those taxpayers who would otherwise lose under the proposed scheme.

The Lead Member for Customer Services, Procurement & Performance introduced a report that proposed changes to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

In agreeing the Council’s request to raise Council Tax by 9.99% the Government had expressed an expectation that steps be taken to mitigate the impact on those least able to pay Council Tax.  It was proposed that a further £1.2m be added to the scheme for 2023/24 to make it more generous.  The current maximum reduction in Council Tax for working age households was 80% but the proposed new scheme would have a maximum reduction of 100%.  Modelling suggested that 3,552 of the 6,606 working age households with the lowest incomes would not pay any Council under the revised scheme and a further 1,805 would pay less than they currently did.  A minority of households in receipt of support would pay more and more funding would be provided to the Council Tax Hardship Fund.

The Cabinet welcomed the more generous scheme proposed that would increase the support provided to the lowest income households in Slough.  In addition to the support for those households there was a further benefit in an anticipated reduction in collection costs. The scheme was subject to public consultation.

The Cabinet agreed to recommend the revised scheme to Council.

Recommended –

(a)  That the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 (Appendix D) be recommended to Full Council for adoption for the financial year 2023/24.

(b)  Agreed to allocate £0.040m into the Council Tax Hardship Fund and to use the Council’s £0.253m allocation of the Council Tax Support Fund to protect the current levels of support provided to those taxpayers who would otherwise lose under the proposed scheme.