The Isle of Wight Council has pledged to increase the level of support for those struggling to pay their council tax bill — but not until 2023.
In the coming financial year, from 1st April, the support will stay the same at a 65% reduction from their bills.
It was approved by the full Isle of Wight Council last Wednesday that the Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme would be raised to ‘at least 70%’ in 2023, following consultation, due to the ever-increasing cost of living.
Requesting the increase in the coming year, and hoping to see it rise again in later years, Councillor Andrew Garratt had said he had seen the terrible impact of the cuts to the scheme— which has reduced the level of support from 91.5% to 65. He said he would like to be delighted with the extra 5% but could not be when so many people were living with monetary pressures as the cost of living rises and the price cap on energy costs is lifted later this year.
Councillor Chris Jarman, cabinet member for strategic finance, said the Alliance administration was aware of the catastrophic increases to the cost of living and other utilities and said if they could do more, they would. Repeating what he said at the cabinet meeting last week, he said the Alliance was committed to ensuring it was ‘not the vehicle that drove Island families into poverty, unsustainable debt or homelessness’.
Despite the potential savings that could be made from the scheme, helping the council’s budget, Cllr Jarman said they are determined to stop the decline in support and reverse the trend.
The Isle of Wight Council does have an exceptional hardship fund for those in receipt of LCTS if they need further financial assistance. To find out more visit www.iow.gov.uk/Council/OtherServices/Local-Council-Tax-Support-Entitlement/Exceptional-Hardship-Fund.
With this next wave of increases, isn’t it everyone who is going to be struggling, why don’t this greedy council take a pay freeze like most ordinary workers have had to over the last few years. Once again it’s the long term dole scroungers that get the best deal, not to mention the druggies too. Stop this ridiculous handout, and they will soon find a job.
I’m not a dole scrounger, I have a job
No you don’t !
Councillor Chris Jarman, cabinet member for strategic finance, said the Alliance administration was aware of the catastrophic increases to the cost of living and other utilities and said if they could do more, they would.
..liars – they can easily do more – cut the bloated adult social care budge, cut the handouts to every sob story going, stop wasting money buying up properties, start using some of the councils millions of pounds of reserves that they keep for “rainy days” – stop paying out £1.4m a year in taxi fares for SEND kids, when their parents should be paying, stop paying yourselves gargantuan salaries and pension payments. HINT!
Can do no more? All that money wasted on floater could of done wonders.and scroungers need too get a job so those in genuine nerd get it moreso
I do have a job
No you don’t !!!!
Perhaps we could start cutting the council tax by stopping the council pension to employees
which accounts for nearly 16% of our council tax payments
So where did the savings go from slashing support from 91.5% to 65%?
Council tax has continued to rise so it’s not there.
Where’s the transparency?
This caring for some council, is happily ripping off all council taxpayers, by levying the highest increase allowed. Once you add the huge increases from the Town council, Police, Fire, social care precepts and non floating bridge, we certainly will be struggling. Council only concern is for the professional benefit scroungers. They make NO attempt to help the many who pay there way, but are broke every month.
Censor at Island echo busy today.
Council Tax is a rip off
What do we get for £2,000+ a year
They empty the Bins