Agenda and draft minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred to the notice of filming at meetings and this information was noted.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were none.  

There were none.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of Urgent Business will be dealt with under agenda item 8).

There were none.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

There were none.

The report set out the proposed amendments to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) to include some technical changes in the scheme for working age claimants which have already been included scheme for pension age claimants. The report sets out these technical changes, with a preferred option recommended for consultation. It also sets out the proposed consultation process.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1. To agree to a consultation on the preferred option to amend the existing CTRS in respect of working age claimants to replicate some technical changes which Government has already mandated for the pension age scheme.

2. To note the changes detailed in Appendix 1.

3. To note and approve that, following consultation with the Greater London Authority (“GLA”) and having considered the GLA’s response that a draft CTRS will be published and a consultation (found on Appendix 2 of the report) on the draft CTRS will be carried out with persons likely to have an interest in its operation and the findings of the consultation would inform the final CTRS, which would be put to members to consider at Full Council in early 2024.

Reasons for Decision

Central government mandated how CTRS was assessed for people who had reached state pension age. The relevant legislation was the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012. These mandatory requirements for the pension age scheme were updated annually by Statutory Instrument.

There was no such mandatory updating mechanism for the CTRS scheme for working age claimants. Instead, the Council was obliged to consider whether to revise or replace its CTRS each year.

The Council was not obliged to revise or replace the CTRS scheme, and if any revision or replacement is to be made, the Council must follow the consultation process set out in the legislation and the decision must be made by Full Council.

Where the changes were minor and/or technical changes it would not be efficient or proportionate to run a public consultation annually. Indeed it was not possible to replicate any changes from the pension age scheme to the working age scheme in the same year as there is insufficient time following the issuance of the Statutory instrument (usually in January) to complete the required consultation process.

The Council had not updated these technical changes since 2013 and there was a sufficient divergence to make a consultation exercise worthwhile. For example, there were some technical changes permitting the Council to disregard certain payments (such as those relating to Windrush and Grenfell Tower) for the purposes of calculating capital, which may have more relevance to some Haringey residents.

The Council was not seeking to enhance or reduce the current working age CTRS scheme beyond the capital disregards and is seeking to consult only on the technical changes set out in Appendix 1. The following changes were proposed:

Replication of capital rules. The proposed change was to update the capital rules to fully disregard certain compensation payments (Such as Windrush or Grenfell Tower support payments). This would replicate the existing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

This item was deferred and would be considered on 14 November 2023.

As per item 4.

There were none.