Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2012 as a correct record. The minutes can be accessed on the Council’s website by following the links at:

http://scdcmg:9070/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=417&MId=5795&Ver=4

The Minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2012 were AGREED as a correct record for signing by the Chairman.

There were no public questions.

A benefit reform workshop: consultation on a local scheme will be held for Members following an introduction by the Benefits Manager, Dawn Graham and Revenues Manager, Phil Bird. The following documents are attached for your information:

·         Briefing note

·         Draft Scheme for Council Tax Support 2012/13

·         Changes to Council Tax Support – Have Your Say

·         Frequently Asked Questions

Dawn Graham, Benefits Manager, introduced this item, explaining the background to, and key provisions of, the Localised Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme, on which the Council was currently consulting prior to implementation in April 2013. LCTS had been introduced as part of the government’s Welfare Reform and Deficit Reduction proposals. In transferring support schemes to local level, the government had reduced the amount of funding available, giving rise to a shortfall of around £1 million based on current demand. The consultation paper set out a number of options for the Council to reduce this deficit which, given the requirement to protect pensioners at current levels, was likely to mean residents of working age receiving proportionally higher cuts to their entitlement.

Phil Bird, Revenues Manager, outlined a number of options which were open to the Council to reduce Council Tax Exemptions and Discounts on certain types of empty and second homes. Removing these discounts could lessen the impact of reductions in the LCTS scheme, but would mean some Council Taxpayers paying much more than they did currently and potentially discourage developers from building in the district, if neighbouring authorities maintained discounts at higher levels. Members were further advised that the Council could not confidently anticipate full collection of additional revenues payable under a local scheme.

The Committee considered each of the principal options presented.

(1)  A percentage cut in support for all

Under this proposal, all non-protected claimants would receive a percentage cut to their entitlement, regardless of their circumstances. This could mean reductions of up to 55% in benefit entitlement and make the total required savings of £1 million in 2013/14.

The Committee felt that it would not be appropriate to impose a blanket cut such as this, when there were other options which could result in a fairer local scheme for all. Once other options had been taken into account, a lower percentage cut might be acceptable.

(2)  Introducing a maximum limit to the amount of Council Tax Support that can be paid

Under this proposal, all claimants (except those protected) would have to pay up to the first 45% of their Council Tax, with even those on the lowest incomes only receiving discounts from part of their Council Tax. This change could make the required savings of £1 million in 2013/14.

The view was expressed that a lower maximum limit might be appropriate, taken in conjunction with the other options put forward. Members requested further modelling work on the financial impact of different percentage limits.

(3)  Increasing contributions from other adult members of the household

Assessing the means of other adults living in claimants’ households could raise £20,000 through an increase in the maximum amount that could be reduced from benefit. Members supported this proposal.

(4)  Changing the amount of savings a person can have and still receive any benefit.

This proposal could generate savings of £3,000 by reducing the amount of personal savings above which residents were not entitled to claim Council Tax benefit from the current  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

The committee considered a report setting out the latest position in respect of its work programme for 2012-2013.

Councillor Sue Ellington, Environmental Services Portfolio Holder, and Mike Hill, Health and Environmental Services Director, attended the meeting to provide further clarification to response to queries raised previously by the Committee in respect of the Council’s waste and recycling performance.

Councillor Ellington reported that South Cambridgeshire District Council, as the waste collection authority, technically put no waste into landfill sites; Cambridgeshire County Council was the waste disposal authority. The County Council’s new Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) waste processing plant further processed waste presented by South Cambridgeshire DC, therefore the tonnage submitted to the plant from South Cambridgeshire bins did not correlate to the amount subsequently put into landfill. The Council estimated that 10-13,000 tonnes of waste from South Cambridgeshire were put into landfill each year; however, this was an approximate figure which therefore could not be considered a reliable indicator of South Cambridgeshire’s performance - it reflected the work of the County Council and was not one which the district council could readily influence.

A Leader’s Portfolio Holder meeting was held on 23 July 2012, however, neither of the Scrutiny Monitors were in attendance.

The Committee noted that a Leader’s Portfolio meeting had been held on 23 July 2012; however, neither of the Scrutiny Monitors had attended.

Future meetings are scheduled as follows:

27 September 2012 at 4pm - New Build Strategy: Members-only workshop

01 November 2012 at 5:30pm – Members-only Finance workshop

05 November 2012 at 6.00pm

10 January 2013 at 6.00pm

11 February 2013 at 6pm – Members-only Finance workshop

14 February 2013 at 6.00pm

21 March 2013 at 6.00pm

23 April 2013 at 6.00pm

The Committee noted the dates for future meetings set out in the Agenda.