(1) That the responses to the consultation on the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2015/16 be noted;
(2) That, in view of the consultation responses and the experience of the first two years of the scheme, no changes be made to the scheme for 2015/16, other than the annual uprating of premiums, allowances, non-dependant deductions and any changes to the national pension age scheme that need to be reflected in the Council’s scheme; and
(3) That the proposed Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2015/16 be recommended to the Council for approval.
(1) That, in light of a recent judicial review, the actions undertaken by Officers not to include questions concerning a residency condition in the consultation for the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2015/16 be approved.
(1) That the Local Council Tax Support scheme for 2015/16 should aim to be cost neutral for the Council be agreed as a general principle;
(2) That the following elements of the scheme be approved for consultation purposes:
(a) The maximum Local Council Tax Support for people of working age be reduced from 80%;
(b) Child Benefit be included as income for people of working age;
(c) A requirement that people of working age to have been resident in the Epping Forest District for a period of time before they were eligible to receive Local Council Tax Support; and
(d) a similar waiver of the residency qualification be applied to members of the Armed Forces as contained in section 14.3 (a) to (d) of the Housing Allocations Scheme; and
(3) That a public consultation exercise on the 2015/16 scheme be undertaken between August and October 2014.