The London Borough of Harrow has launched a far-reaching consultation into the impacts of what potential changes to Council Tax Support (CTS) criteria would mean for those who receive it.
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2 out of 3 claimants - the most vulnerable households in the borough and pensioners - will be protected from any changes to financial support
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1 in 3 claimants will be asked to pay more if the changes go ahead
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Residents can feedback comments on www.talk.harrow.gov.uk/cts
The consultation will run on MyHarrow Talk until 27 October. Councillors will decide whether to make the changes or not in mid-December.
That’s because the council must wait to see how much the Government will give us to run local services next year, and decide on Council Tax rates for next year, before making a decision on whether the CTS changes are necessary.
Councillor David Ashton, Cabinet Member for Finance said: “We cannot stress enough that this is a consultation. No decision has been made. It is important we ask the difficult questions now so that if we need to make savings from next April we have all the information we need.”
Cllr Ashton said the council was, on current estimates, looking at a £15.3million gap in finances over the next three years. With Council Tax Support costing £19 million a year, the proposals on the table could save £1.3million towards the overall budget gap. Other savings from other council services will come forward later this year.
The proposals if agreed would affect around one in three (35%) of the 12,800 households in Harrow who currently receive Council Tax Support. Pensioner age households are not affected. Almost all those deemed vulnerable under the scheme, would not receive less if the changes were agreed.
On current figures there are 245 vulnerable households with independent adults in their home who would be expected to contribute more. We’re also asking if there are any other groups of people that should be put in the vulnerable category as part of the consultation.
The consultation was originally due to launch on 5 August but was slightly delayed to ensure that changes suggested by voluntary organisations could be incorporated into all consultation materials. Those important discussions could not take place until after Cabinet gave approval to consult on 25 July.
The materials include a step-by-step guide and an EasyRead document to help people navigate what the changes could mean for recipients of CTS. So far seven face-to-face events have been arranged, so council staff can explain what the changes could mean and help people give their views.
Letters have been sent to all CTS recipients in the borough and community organisations are helping the council promote the consultation especially amongst the hard-to-reach. If people are unable to use online services, they can call Access Harrow 020 8863 5611 to request a paper survey through the post. You can also ask for it in a different format.
For more details and to take part in the survey, please go to www.talk.harrow.gov.uk/cts