Issue - meetings

Report FSD20049

The report provided information regarding the performance of the benefit services provided by Liberata during the period 1 October 2019 to 31 March 2020. A letter from Amanda Inwood-Field, Liberata’s London Regional Contract Director, was attached as Appendix 1. This communication provided Liberata’s perspective on performance, together with an update on initiatives to be introduced in the coming months.

In response to a question concerning how the £1,814,229 allocated to Bromley by the Government in response to COVID-19, to support “economically vulnerable people and households in [the] local area”, had been distributed, the Assistant Director for Exchequer Services explained that the funding would be distributed to those already in receipt of Council Tax Support this year.  The funding had been earmarked and the Council was awaiting a script from its Benefit Service software suppliers to enable the automatic distribution of the funding.

Members noted that the recovery of any overpayments required a lot of time and effort but that the Council was successful in terms of recovery of overpayments.  It was noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on all elements of recovery.

The Committee requested that a short update on the impact of COVID-19 on the Benefits Service be provided at the September meeting.

Turing to the consultation on the Council Tax Support/Reduction Scheme the Committee agreed that the Portfolio Holder should be recommended to agree that Option 3 (the continuation of the scheme currently in place) should form the basis of the consultation for the 2021/2022 scheme.

RESOLVED: That

1.   The report and letter provided by Liberata be noted;

2.   The Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree that a consultation exercise be held in August 2020 for the Authority’s 2021/22 Council Tax Support/Reduction scheme based on the scheme being the same as currently in place (i.e. the maximum contribution of working age claimants remaining at 25% of a household’s Council Tax liability).