Have your say on changes to Council Tax support in Melton Borough

Overview

Changes are being made to Council Tax Benefit.

Melton Borough Council is inviting residents and local organisations to help find the fairest way of introducing these changes here in Melton Borough and to ensure that we continue to support our most vulnerable residents in the best way that we can.

Why your views matter

The Government is making changes to the way Council Tax Benefit is worked out. As part of its package of welfare savings, it is replacing Council Tax Benefit with a new Council Tax support scheme.

The Government will also be cutting the amount of money that Melton Borough Council gets to pay for the new Council Tax support scheme. This means that we will need to save around £373,000 in the first year after the new scheme is introduced.

The new scheme will be introduced from 1st April 2013.

The changes we are being asked to make are likely to mean that nearly everyone who is currently receiving Council Tax Benefit (except pensioners) will have to pay something towards their Council Tax in the future.

This is a difficult and challenging problem that we have been given by Government.

But I am firmly committed to finding the fairest way of introducing these changes here in Melton Borough and ensuring that we continue to support our residents in the best way we can.

I want everyone in the Borough of Melton to have the chance to help decide how we make the savings we’re being asked to find. So I am asking for your help.

 Please read the accompanying documents carefully. I hope they will give you all the information you need about the changes being introduced, our proposed ideas and details of how you can get involved in helping us to decide what we do.

During this consultation we will be talking to residents and working with voluntary organisations and other groups to confirm who our most vulnerable people are – this will help us to get a better understanding of how these changes will affect them.

We have not made any decisions about the new scheme and your views and ideas will be a major part of what those decisions are.

If you’ve got any questions or queries please visit www.melton.gov.uk

Lynn Aisbett

Chief Executive Melton Borough Council

What happens next

Melton Borough Council will analyse the views that have been expressed in the consultation and take these into consideration when the final decision on the replacement scheme is made by the Council. The Council will also look at other information and be listening to the views of many organisations.