Calls to cancel council tax bills for Northumberland's poorest residents

Opposition Northumberland councillors have called on the Tory administration to cover the entire council tax bills of the county’s poorest residents.

Prior to 2019, the council did offer a 100% relief on council tax for working-age claimants, but it was reduced to a maximum of 92% that year.

However, opposition councillors have called on the administration to reverse that decision in light of the pressure on household budgets due to the cost of living crisis.

Leading Conservative councillors responded by pointing out that the level of support was among the highest in the North East, with only Durham County Council going further. Furthermore, Covid hardship payments from the government were used to provide all working age council tax support recipients with £150 for 2020-21, £300 in 2021- 22 and a further reduction in their annual council tax liability for 2022-23 of £200.

This meant that more than 11,600 claimaints of council tax support in Northumberland did not pay anything in the past year. However, the government has yet to reveal whether those payments will continue.

Speaking at Monday’s meeting of the council’s Corporate Services and Economic Growth overview and scrutiny committee meeting, Labour’s Coun Liz Dunn, who represents Lynemouth, said: “I welcome all the help that we’re giving in other means that the government has brought in.

“I think we need a council tax scheme that will help the poorest hit by Covid and those most vulnerable. As a council that has pledged to tackle inequality across the county I think it is vital that our poorest are not penalised more.

“Raising this support tax to its previous level of 100% would go a long way to ensure this and demonstrate our commitment to those people in our community.”

Independent councillor Christine Taylor, who represents Bedlington Central, added: “The cost of living is going through the roof. For me, while this goes someway to help, I think 100 per cent would be much more beneficial.

“Maybe not forever, but for the next couple of years to get people over the hump we’re on at the moment.”

Currently, there are 24,894 claimaints of council tax support in Northumberland, of which 14,994 are working age.

It is estimated that the cost of the council tax support scheme for the coming year will be more than £25.75 million. The meeting was told that the cost of returning to 100% support would be around an additional £2 million, although officers stressed this was an estimate as they did not have the figures to hand.

Former leader Peter Jackson defended the administration’s decision.

He said: “It has been pointed out that we have one of the most generous council tax support schemes in the North East. To say we’re in danger of penalising the poor is wrong.

“We have had this system in place for a number of years now and I’m not aware that it has caused huge numbers of problems. The fact is everyone is due to pay their council tax and those within this scheme are only paying 8%, which is actually a very small amount of money.

“I think we do have a generous system.”

Deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth also pointed to the level of support currently being offered by both the council and the Conservative government on energy bills.

He added: “We are providing that maximum level of support at 92 per cent. This scheme is something that we opt to do to make sure that we help those in the county who need our help the most.

“At that end we will spend £25.7 million in order to achieve that. It’s a substantial sum.”

The committee was asked to support recommendation of a 92% support rate before a final decision is made by the council’s cabinet later today (Tuesday). The committee was split three votes each way, but the meeting’s chairman Coun David Bawn used his casting vote and opted to go with the report’s recommendations.