Council Launches Council Tax Support Scheme Consultation

Rossendale Borough Council has launched a 12 week consultation on its Council Tax Support Scheme for 2017/18.

The consultation comes after Central Government announced a number of welfare changes in its 2015 Summer Budget, some of which apply to the Housing Benefit Scheme.

Rossendale Borough Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme has remained unchanged since April 2013, except for the annual uprating of applicable amounts/premiums keeping it in line with the Housing Benefit Scheme and is formally ratified annually by Full Council. The old Council Tax Benefit Scheme was retained within our local support scheme and we have continued to protect pensioners, as prescribed by Central Government.

Rossendale Borough Council is proposing that:

– The Council Tax Support Scheme continues to align with the Housing Benefit Scheme

– The maximum level of support for working age claimants remains at 80% and does not reduce further.

This will aid an efficient/streamlined scheme and will mean that the Council would not have to consider increasing the % reduction of support or find savings from other Council services to cover additional administration costs.

Cllr Barbara Ashworth, Portfolio Holder for Customer Services said; “This is a really important consultation for everyone to get involved in. Due to the number of changes to the Housing Benefit scheme, which would affect our Council Tax Support Scheme, we want to ask should we maintain our alignment and as such we are consulting with residents and other interested groups to ascertain their views.”

The information sheet and the frequently asked questions should give you all the information you may need about the  proposals under  consideration and we recommend that you read these documents prior to completing the questionnaire. You can complete the consultation questionnaire in various ways;

• On line – please click here to take part online
• Paper – download a PDF of the questionnaire here to print out and return to us
• Telephone – call us on 01706 252571 and we’ll send you a paper copy
• Face to face – call into Rossendale Borough Council’s One Stop Shop pick up your paper copy and freepost envelope

The Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme is based on the previous Housing/Council Tax Benefit Scheme, approved by Full Council in December 2012 after consultation was undertaken with residents of Rossendale, Lancashire County Council, Whitworth Parish Council, Police, Fire Authority and other interested parties.  It replaced Council Tax Benefits in April 2013.

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