Purpose

To provide
information on Council Tax Discretionary Discounts, the current
policy criteria and the circumstances (with a statistical analysis)
where the Council already need to write off Council Tax
amounts.

Content

(a)       That the Committee
notes and supports the work undertaken to maximise collections of
Council Tax, maximise the take-up of discounts and reductions, and
help those who struggle to pay;

 

(b)       That the Committee
notes and supports the circumstances where, in line with Cabinet
policies, s13a discretionary discounts are already awarded and the
limited circumstances and funds to waive or reduce Council
Tax;

 

(c)       That the Committee
endorses the exceptional circumstances where write offs are
undertaken and which result in losses of income to fund public
services; and

 

(d)       That Cabinet review
and produce a comprehensive policy on s13a discretionary discounts,
taking into account the comments raised and to consult with
Overview & Scrutiny, scheduling a report back to this Committee
at a future date.