Bexley has opened a public consultation on its Council Tax Reduction Scheme. The scheme provides support with Council Tax payments for residents of working age who are on low incomes.

National regulations mean the Council has to protect the Council Tax Reduction levels for those of state retirement age, so they receive no less financial support than they would have under the former Council Tax Benefit rules and are not directly affected by this consultation. The Council has to set a balanced budget for each financial year, however there are many challenges ahead.

The forecasted budget gap is set to reach £39.498m by 2027/28 due to rising costs, pressures and demands on services and ongoing economic uncertainty. There continues to be increasing spending pressures in a number of key services, including both Children and Adult Social Care, Special Education Needs Transport, Emergency Accommodation and other demand led services such as Parking and Waste Services. The uncertainty around the state of the economy over the next few years will also have an impact. The Council will receive information from the Government about local government funding and the level of grants from central government as part of the 2024 Autumn Budget, the 2025 Spending Review and the local government finance settlement and until that information is provided there is uncertainty over the resources available to the Council.

The impact of energy prices, inflation and interest rates has a direct impact on the Council, the amount we pay for services and the income we are able to collect. Our challenge is to continue to provide good quality and affordable public services, while balancing our income and spending levels in the current challenging circumstances. As such, the Council now needs to consider whether changes need to be made to the working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme in order to provide a scheme which provides a reasonable level of support to residents, whilst taking into account the budgetary position.

The Council is keen to hear the views of residents, local voluntary and welfare organisations and other interested parties, regardless of whether they receive benefits.
The proposals will affect all those of working age who currently claim help from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and anyone of working age who pays Council Tax now and might be eligible to claim support in the future should their circumstances change. Residents who have reached state retirement age will not be affected by these proposals.

Take part in the online consultation

Find out more about the current scheme

The deadline for responses is 30 October 2024.

Paper copies of the consultation are available upon request at the Civic Offices (Bexleyheath) and all Council Libraries.

The final decision on the scheme will be made by the Council no later than 5 March 2025 and details will be made available on the Council’s website.