Telford & Wrekin council tax support is cut

The council's cabinet approved changes to its council tax support scheme during its latest meeting.

Council tax support is a scheme designed to help people on low incomes. Under the changes, working age customers will pay 25 per cent of their council tax bill instead of 21 per cent. The council says it will make changes to the overall annual cost, as well as some technical and legislative changes.

Cabinet chiefs also approved the continuation of the £30,000 Council Tax Hardship Fund, which has awarded help to the council's most financially vulnerable customers over the past three years.

The new Council Tax Support Scheme Policy for 2017/2018 will also only take into account a maximum of two dependant children per family when new claims are made.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Councillor Paul Watling said: "We need a balance between supporting vulnerable people in the community with the shrinking resources we have."

Meanwhile, councillors also approved the funding formula for Telford & Wrekin's mainstream schools, which could see schools in the region lose £2 million of funding under proposals by the Government.

Plans have been put forward to stop the education services grant from September 2017. In 2016/17, the grant to Telford and Wrekin was £2 million and was used to provide much of its statutory duties for schools and academies in the area. The dedicated schools grant provides money in three blocks, one for schools, one for early years and one for high needs. Although the money is ring-fenced to be used for schools, it can be moved between the three blocks.

For 2017/18, the retained duties element has been added to schools block of the dedicated schools grant. The general funding element will then be paid at a reduced rate between April and August 2017, at £27.50 per pupil in a maintained school.