Council Tax Support Scheme

[gynn]

Interesting to read about the new arrangements for Council Tax relief that the Coalition is imposing on Councils such as Hyndburn.

It means basically that EVERYONE of working age will have to contribute at least 20% of their Council Tax. The days of 100% relief are over (except for pensioners).

How many of the people previously receiving 100% benefit will pay their share? Well, according to the Council, about half of them, and that will only be after it increases resources in collecting the money.

From the report to Council:- It is anticipated that the collection of small amounts of newly levied tax from low income households will be problematic. It is estimated that the collection rate for Council Tax from the 5,600 working age households who will be required to pay a minimum of 20% of their bill will be as low as 50% which will impact on overall collection rates. 3,600 working age households are considered high risk in terms of non-payment of Council Tax as these households are currently receiving 100% Council Tax Benefit and many will receive a Council Tax Bill for the first time. We will keep Council Tax recovery under regular review, as happens already, but it may be that additional resources will be required, at least in the short term, to address the increased recovery activity.

So it raises the question. How much cash will actually be raised, after the costs of collection are taken into account?

Is it a money spinner, or just a cynical move to pander to the view that benefit recipients are just a gang of lazy shirkers?

[Margaret Pilkington]

I don't t hink it is going to be a money spinner, but then neither do I think it is a cynical ploy to pander to the view that benefit recipients are feckless lazy shirkers(even though there are some of those).
Council tax pays for local services....and if you use a service then you should be willing to pay for it....however small your means are....there must be some level of payment that could be paid...even if it were only £1 per month.
My mother is elderly(85), and disabled. She pays no council tax...but this grieves her greatly....she feels that she should pay a nominal amount each month....in fact she gives the men who take away her recycling a couple of quid (she does live in a place where the binwagon can't reach, so they do have to walk up the hill).

All should pay.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

All should pay.

All should have the means to pay.

At the moment I am on benefits, I don't like it but have no choice.
Whenever they are reviewed I am told I am receiving the minimum of entitlement by law on which I can survive.
This includes 100% relief for rent and Council tax.
In April when the changes to both rent, single person in two bedroomed house and Council Tax single person no longer entitled to full payment, it will cost me about £20 a week more, if I'm already getting the legal minimum, how can it be lawful to expect me to survive on less than I am already getting?


But then I suspect I am just one of many being used as a scapegoat by the Coalition Government.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I cannot argue with that.
Perhaps we should look at who should be receiving benefits...in one of the 'red top' papers this morning there is an immigrant(who I would guess has paid nothing into the system) and who is getting 14K in benefits...and is saying that Britian is a 'soft touch' well, that is unless you are born British and have worked much of your life...paid into the system...but get little back.
14K is more than my pension....how does this immigrant get this amount of money?

OK...so it is a red top paper....so I guess salt must be liberally sprinkled on the story.
We should stop paying to people who have contributed nothing to the pot.

[cmonstanley]

this is in conjunction with the empty bedroom that anybody has.i can see a lot of people having to move house.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by cmonstanley

this is in conjunction with the empty bedroom that anybody has.i can see a lot of people having to move house.

In that case you need to go to SPECSAVERS

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

We should stop paying to people who have contributed nothing to the pot.

agree unless they are disabled "British" born n bred. Funny though how yeh get sod all when yeh live in Spain if yeh aint paid in the system,

[cmonstanley]

i wouldnt hold my breath on pensioners as that will change, especially after the latest changes, they mean people in ten years will be getting less pension than people get now.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I don't think it is going to be a money spinner, but then neither do I think it is a cynical ploy to pander to the view that benefit recipients are feckless lazy shirkers(even though there are some of those).
Council tax pays for local services....and if you use a service then you should be willing to pay for it....however small your means are....there must be some level of payment that could be paid...even if it were only £1 per month.
My mother is elderly(85), and disabled. She pays no council tax...but this grieves her greatly....she feels that she should pay a nominal amount each month....in fact she gives the men who take away her recycling a couple of quid (she does live in a place where the bandwagon can't reach, so they do have to walk up the hill).

All should pay.

I always said that the concept of the Community Charge was a good idea, after all its people who use services not houses. it was just the stupid levels it was introduce at, a charge of £50 per person would have been acceptable but £260 or what ever it was was stupid, it would have been fairer one person living alone paying £50 while a family of 4 paying £200, but has it stood people were being asked to pay over a thousand pounds whereas they'd only been paying around £150 a year previously was a none starter, so a good idea with merit was consigned to the rubbish bin instead

[cmonstanley]

it would be wide open to fraud as the council wont have resources as they have got rid of a lot of people and crisis,social loans etc are going to be transferred to the council with no ring fence or more resources.lock up your doors after april as theres going to be a crime wave heading your way.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by cashman

agree unless they are disabled "British" born n bred. Funny though how yeh get sod all when yeh live in Spain if yeh aint paid in the system,

Yes, and that is how it should be.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by cmonstanley

i wouldnt hold my breath on pensioners as that will change, especially after the latest changes, they mean people in ten years will be getting less pension than people get now.

The system is going to change with those who are pensioners now getting a lower level of pension.......my understanding was that the pension was going up for new pensioners to something in the region of £155 per week....so there will be a two tier pension system.
Now what that will be worth when it arrives is anybody's guess, but those new pensioners will be better equipped as they will get more money at the outset.
Many pensioners who saved for their latter years have seen their income fall dramatically in real terms due to low interest rates eating into the interest on their savings...interest that was to make life just a little bit more comfortable is now non existent and well below the level of inflation.

[cmonstanley]

dont think so go .through it with a tooth coombe and you will get the truth as you wont believe me everybody is worse off if youve got a private pension your even more worse off.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by cmonstanley

this is in conjunction with the empty bedroom that anybody has.i can see a lot of people having to move house.

Move to where, how many one bedroom properties are there, other than crappy flat conversions, with cardboard walls, and yobs for neighbours, every house built in the housing boom in the 1890/1900's in Accrington had at least two bedrooms, all the new estates that have gone up in the past 40 years are mostly 3 bedrooms.
So if you've been hard working all your life, your children have moved on, your spouse has died, you are condemmed to the slums, for still having two bedrooms.

[Margaret Pilkington]

The new pension regulations come into force in April 2017. To qualify for this uplifted pension of £144 per week you will have to have made contributions for 35 years(as opposed to 30 years currently).
People who are currently of pension age, will not benefit by this change, they will continue to get pension benefits at the current rate, plus any uplift linked to inflation.