Consultations: have your say

Do you want to have a say and get involved with your council? Would you like to have a voice in the decision making process?

We are committed to consulting residents, partners, and other interested groups to help us provide effective services which meet people's needs.

Consultation is essentially about two-way communication. It's about involving people to gain an understanding of their ideas, concerns and opinions. By seeking your views and then acting on the results, the council can ensure that its services better reflect your needs and aspirations.

Council Tax Reduction scheme consultation

We're asking for your feedback on a change to our Council Tax Reduction scheme for working-age residents.

Some residents get help with their childcare costs from Universal Credit if they're working and getting Universal Credit. This is called the 'childcare element' of Universal Credit.

At the moment, we include the childcare element when we're looking at a resident's income. But the childcare element is only used to cover the cost of childcare, it does not give the resident any extra money to spend. So we do not think it should be classed as income.

We're planning to change the Council Tax Reduction scheme so the childcare element is not included when we work out a resident's income. This means their total income will be less, so they're entitled to more Council Tax Reduction.

This change will help low-income residents who are working and have children. It will also make sure we can afford to keep providing Council Tax Reduction, and help us to collect the Council Tax we need to provide services.

We're not making any changes to the Council Tax Reduction scheme for pension-age residents.

The survey closes on 5 November 2023. We'll take your views into account in the final design of the Council Tax Reduction scheme.

Any changes to the scheme will come into force from 1 April 2024.