Residents across Purbeck, West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland can have their say on a review of the Council Tax Support Scheme for working age applicants in their area.
The councils are proposing changes that would bring their Council Tax Support Scheme in line with the changes made by Central Government in Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.
Until April 2013 there was a national scheme called Council Tax Benefit. The Government made local councils responsible for replacement schemes from 1 April 2013. As the councils are keen to keep Council Tax Support aligned with major benefits such as Housing Benefit and Universal Credit to assist in administration, this means that, as those benefits change, similar changes are being proposed to the Council Tax Support Scheme.
Residents can have their say at: dorsetforyou.com/your-say-council-tax-support The consultation will run for a period of eight weeks and closes on 22 November 2016.
Cllr Cherry Brooks, Vice-chair of the Partnership Strategic Board, said: “If the councils keep the current scheme it would be more complex to operate, making the service inefficient and more costly. The proposals set out in this consultation will provide savings and allow us to deliver the service more efficiently.
“In order to make the most informed decision we need to hear from as many residents as possible.”
Councillors will listen carefully to what residents tell them and take the responses into consideration when making a final decision on the 2017/18 scheme, which will be implemented on 1 April 2017.
The councils will consider the impact of the scheme annually and consult again if they think further changes need to be made.
