Memorandum by Rushcliffe Borough Council
(CTB 19)
— the case for re-branding council
tax benefit as a "rebate"; Agreed, if the change of
terminology was made then take up may increase. The proposal is
consistent with the terminology used for rent rebate where any
entitlement is credited directly to an account.
— the role and effectiveness of
Government in increasing council tax benefit uptake levels; There
have been annual campaigns by Government over the past four years
to raise the profile of CTB. We would support, in principle, any
initiatives to encourage CTB take-up, providing they do not further
complicate the administration of benefits.
— the case for improvements to
the processing of pension credit claims to enable the Pension
Service to act as a portal to rebates for all callers, regardless
of pension credit eligibility and to examine steps to improve
data sharing. Agreed, in principle, however, thought must be given
to ensuring that whatever improvements that are put in place for
the pension service to act as a portal are also put in place for
housing benefit claims where there is an entitlement. (Currently,
where both benefits are being claimed, only one claim needs to
be made for both).
— the case for reform of the council
tax benefit eligibility criteria including the case for changing
or abolishing the saving limit in council tax benefit for pensioners,
and the case for aligning council tax rebate thresholds with other
parts of the tax system. Currently, the fundamental personal data,
such as income, savings, family circumstances that are used to
calculate both HB and CTB are broadly similar. This proposal would
mean using different rules for calculating CTB and would further
complicate an already complex system. Furthermore, the cost implications
for software changes should not be underestimated.
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