Issue - meetings

At its meeting on 6 February 2019 the Executive Committee considered a Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers be ADOPTED effective from 1 April 2019.

78.13         At its meeting on 6 February 2019 the Executive Committee considered a Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers and recommended to Council that it be adopted effective from 1 April 2019.  

78.14         The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 24-31.

78.15         The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation which was seconded by the Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management, and it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers be                              ADOPTED effective from 1 April 2019.

To consider the implementation of a Council Tax discount for care leavers and make a recommendation to Council.  

1.      That a class be determined for Gloucestershire care leavers between the ages of 18 and 21 for the purposes of Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

2.      That it be RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers be ADOPTED effective from 1 April 2019.

3.      That authority be delegated to the Head of Corporate Services to apply the discount for care leavers, with any dispute being subject to an internal reconsideration by the Deputy Chief Executive.

74.1           The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 41-48, proposed that a class be determined for Gloucestershire care leavers between the ages of 18 and 21 years who were residing in the Tewkesbury Borough Council area; recommended the adoption of the Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers to be effective from 1 April 2019; and  delegated authority to the Head of Corporate Services to apply the discount for care leavers, with any dispute being subject to an internal reconsideration by the Deputy Chief Executive.

74.2           Members were advised that Section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 gave the Council discretionary powers to reduce the amount of Council Tax payable for individual cases, or by class, and that included reduction of the amount payable to zero. In addition, the government had made recommendations within its Care Leavers’ Strategy that local authorities should consider exempting care leavers from Council Tax using those discretionary powers. Care leavers were considered to be a particularly vulnerable group for Council Tax debt as moving to independent accommodation and managing finances for the first time was challenging. To that end, the six District Councils and Gloucestershire County Council had been working together to provide a common Council Tax Discount Scheme for Care Leavers which provided a consistent approach across the County.

74.3           It was noted that any discount awarded using the discretionary power must be funded by the billing authority; however, with the agreement of the County Council, it would fund its share of the cost of any care leaver discounts awarded. The latest information suggested there were eight care leavers who would be eligible for the discount and the proposal was that the discount for care leavers should be 100% where they lived alone and 50% where they lived with others. In response to a query, the Revenues and Benefits Manager explained that, where the care leaver was ‘living with others’, the scenario envisaged was a house share rather than a family environment. Another Member questioned why Tewkesbury Borough Council would be picking up the bill for Parishes and the Police. In response, the Chief Executive confirmed that the statutory duty to put together a package for care leavers lay with the billing authority. In addition, the amount it would cost would be minimal, and difficult to reclaim from the Parishes and Police, but it could make a big difference to the care leaver.

74.4           Accordingly, it was