To consider a report of the Executive Member for Finance.

PLEASE NOTE: The Executive is asked to make recommendations to be considered by Council, following this meeting, and also on 21/1/15.

That it be recommended that Full Council adopts the Council Tax Support (CTS) scheme currently in operation with the inclusion of the amendments detailed below for 2015/16:

1)    That the applicable amounts are increased by 1% to keep them in line with inflationary increases to Housing Benefit and other welfare benefits (Appendix 1 to the report)

2)    That the non-dependant deductions are frozen at their current rate (Appendix 2 to the report).

3)    That the remaining funding allocated to the CTS discretionary fund when it was first introduced in April 2013 is rolled over into 2015/16. This is estimated to be approximately £20k by the end of the year.

The Executive Member for Finance and Director of Finance submitted a report setting out proposed amendments to the Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme for 2015/16.

            RESOLVED: That it be recommended that Full Council adopts the Council Tax Support (CTS) scheme currently in operation with the inclusion of the amendments detailed below for 2015/16:

1)    That the applicable amounts are increased by 1% to keep them in line with inflationary increases to Housing Benefit and other welfare benefits (Appendix 1 to the report)

2)    That the non-dependant deductions are frozen at their current rate (Appendix 2 to the report).

3)    That the remaining funding allocated to the CTS discretionary fund when it was first introduced in April 2013 is rolled over into 2015/16. This is estimated to be approximately £20k by the end of the year.