Technical change and uprating to the scheme approved by Full Council for implementation in April 2014.

That the changes to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, as outlined in Appendix A are introduced from the 1st April 2014.

The Local Council Tax Support Scheme to be introduced from April 2014 was considered and approved at a meeting of Full Council on the 11th December 2013. In making that decision it was accepted that further changes may be required with delegated authority to make such changes given to the Director of Environment and Shared Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, with the proviso that any changes that would lead to a change in the level of discount given to eligible residents should come to the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration prior to implementation. The nature of the changes are typical of that made each year and allow for such things as the inflationary increase in other benefits. They do not principally change the approach which the council has set out with regards to the administration of the Local Council Tax Support Scheme. The changes provided within Appendix A are necessary for the future operation of the scheme and can be summarised as follows. •Minor amendments to reflect corrections in the drafting of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (Prescribed Requirements) 2012. •Increase personal allowances and premiums used within the calculation of Council Tax Support to mirror increases to be implemented by the Department for Work and Pensions with regard to housing benefit and wider welfare system. •An increase in the level of the deduction made for non-dependent adults applied across working age and pensioner claims, to reflect the increase announced within the Department for Communities and local Government (DCLG) arrangements. •An increase in the income bands used within the calculation of alternative council tax reduction (second adult rebate) across working age and pensioner claims, to reflect the increase announced within the DCLG default arrangements. •Technical change to the treatment of persons from abroad. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services has been consulted regarding the proposed changes, along with the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The committee resolved at their meeting on the 4th February that the changes to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, as outlined at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Environment and Shared Services, be agreed and introduced from 1 April 2014.

The scheme could be implemented without the proposed changes to working age households, however, the changes are in the main intended to allow for wider inflationary increases within the benefit system. Without this changes the scheme would therefore unfairly reduce awards. The council are required to protect awards for pensioner households and if the inflationary increases were not made, the council would have to make wider changes to compensate and achieve a similar outcome. Such an approach would be administratively complex and provide no identified benefit.