LETTER: Council Tax Support - when is a Consultation NOT a Consultation?

 

 Segment of Brent Cabinet dealing with Council Tax Support (Apologies for poor sound quality on Brent Council recording)

 

Dear Wembley Matters

When is a Consultation NOT a Consultation?

When Labour Brent Council calls something a "Consultation", asks people to express their views and....then ignores them.

A few days ago Martin reported on the drastic CUTS in support to around 17,000 individuals and families in Brent currently receiving support with their Council Tax bills.

In simple terms the Labour Leadership is proposing to cut £8 million from the Council Tax Support Scheme and set up a £1.5 million hardship fund to help the people most impacted and facing the greatest hardship.

Hundreds (possibly thousands) of Brent residents now face having to pay up to £600 a year (£50 per week) more than before. 

At the same time the Brent element of the Council Tax is going up by another 5%  and in 2025/26 the Band D Council Tax will be £2,133.

Brent officers admit that even with the £1.5 million hardship fund in place many residents will not be able to pay, will fall into even greater debt and the Council will be forced to write off many of those debts. 

I went to the Cabinet on the Monday morning 10 February to argue for two changes to the Labour proposals:

1. Doubling of the £1.5 million hardship fund to £3 million 
2. Reject the proposal to use Universal Credit rules of only allowing backdating of Council Tax Support Scheme for just 1 month - for the simple reasons that Universal Credit is far too complicated and that most people are unaware of the Council Tax Support Scheme and will inevitably claim too late - and lose out on what they were entitled to.

I made the point that extra support was needed this year because the CUT was being rushed and the people impacted had very little time to get help, advice or an opportunity to take steps to manage their income or expenditure to be able to afford the extra cost that will hit them from 1 April 2025 just 7 weeks away.

Needless to say my suggestions were rejected out of hand after the usual Councillor Butt rant totally unrelated to the issue. 

Oh, yes Consultation?

In his previous article Martin also published a response to the consultation from the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB). Their research and a number of case studies highlighted the hardship and impact the drastic Labour Cuts will have on real Brent residents.  The CAB also made some recommendations as to how the worst impact could be mitigated.

Paragraph 10.4 of the Council Report on the issue that went to Cabinet makes the intent of the Brent style "consultation" very clear:

"Given the scale of the budget challenge, the Council’s preferred option was to consult on the proposal which resulted in the saving level needed."

What exactly was the point of the 8 week consultation exercise? Was there any intention to listen to the CAB or anyone else? Of course NOT! 

This was another case of a SHAM Labour Consultation of which we have had many over the years.

So next time you hear a Labour politician shed crocodile tears over the cost of living crisis feel free to point out how much harder they have made things for thousands of Brent residents as a result of their decision.

Yours

Paul Lorber