% Agree option

 

Residents

% Agree Option

 

Stakeholders

 

 

Comments

 

 

Recommendation

Option 1 -  Reducing the maximum level of support for working age applicants from 87% to 80%

 

5,500 people     

£54,000 MBC    

£306,000 Preceptors

£1.14 average impact

61%

40%

Comments in relation to this option show concern for people on low incomes, suggest that amount is too high or too low and suggest phasing down the reduction. 

Implement

 

Option 2 - Removing the Family Premium for all new working age applicants

 

440 people        

£12,000 MBC

£68,000 KCC

£3.49 average impact

50%

50%

Comments show support for bringing the scheme in line with other benefits however a concern people with children are being penalised, in particular single parents and those with larger families struggling financially.

Implement

Option 3 - Reducing backdating to one month

 

75 people          

£1,000 MBC

£5,000 KCC       

£1.45 average impact

75%

25%

Comments show concern for vulnerable people having the assistance they need, other comments express surprise that currently claims can be backdated for up to six months.

Implement – exceptional cases resulting from vulnerability addressed through hardship scheme.

Option 4 - Using a set income for self-employed earners after one year's self-employment

 

440 people        

£37,500 MBC    

£212,500 KCC   

£10.90 average impact

51%

50%

Comments express concern that does not allow new starters time to grow; self-employed often work longer hours to earn a basic income and national incentives to encourage entrepreneurship.

Implement.

Option 5 - Reducing the period for which a person can be absent from Great Britain and still receive Council Tax Reduction to four weeks

 

No data.

83%

100%

Respondents from BME groups had higher levels of agreement with this option, 86%. 

Implement

Option 6 - Reducing the capital limit from the existing £16,000 to £6,000

 

50 people          

£5,500 MBC

£32,500 KCC

£14.81 average impact

60%

25%

The comments in relation to this option are generally supportive though some have suggested that £10,000 would be a more appropriate limit and that this option discourages savers.

Implement – exceptional cases resulting from vulnerability addressed through hardship scheme

Option 7 – Introducing a standard level of non-dependant deduction of £10 for all claimants who have non dependants resident with them.

 

201 people        

£11,000 MBC

£63,000 KCC

£4.42 average impact

71%

100%

Respondents that are disabled and/or receive Council Tax Reduction had the lowest levels of agreement at 60% and 61% respectively.

 

The comments show concern for people who are disabled or in education, while others see this option as incentivising work.

Implement

Option 8 – Taking any Child Maintenance paid to a claimant or partner into account in full in the calculation of Council Tax Reduction

 

241 people        

£24,500 MBC

£139,500 KCC

£13.09 average impact

54%

50%

There are some significant variations between groupings.  Council Tax Reduction recipients have the lowest levels of agreement at 44%, followed by women and respondents with a disability that both had agreement levels of 46%.

 

Comments show concern for single parents and some state that this money is intended for the children. However, other comments support all household income being taken into account in the calculation of benefits.

Implement

Option 9 - Restricting the maximum level of Council Tax Reduction payable to the equivalent of a Band D charge

 

41 people          

£3,000 MBC      

£18,000 KCC

£9.75 average impact

57%

25%

Council Tax Reduction recipients had the lowest levels of agreement with this option at 48%; with almost 1 in 5 people in this group responding ‘Don’t know’ there may be confusion about how this will work in practice.

Implement

Option 10 - Removing  Second Adult Reduction from the scheme

 

60 people          

£2,000 MBC      

£11,000 KCC

£4.08 average impact

61.3%

100%

Respondents with a disability had the lowest levels of agreement at 49%; there is a 14% difference in levels of agreement between respondents with a disability and respondents without.

 

 

Implement

Option 11 - Removing the work related activity component in the calculation of Council Tax Reduction

 

No data

58%

100%

Disabled respondents had the lowest levels of agreement with this option at 43%, and there is an 18% difference in agreement between this group and respondents without a disability.

Implement

Option 12 - Limiting the number of dependent children within the calculation for Council Tax Reduction to a maximum of two

 

103 people        

£6,500 MBC

£37,500 KCC

£8.23 average impact

73%

75%

Respondents 75 years and over and those with a disability have slightly lower levels of agreement but the majority of respondents in these groups are in favour of this option.

Implement

Option 13 - Introducing a scheme, in addition to Council Tax Reduction, to help applicants suffering exceptional hardship

75%

100%

The 25 to 34 year old group have the lowest levels of agreement at 67%. There is a difference of 17% between the age group with the greatest level of agreement and this group.

Implement