Coronavirus and Council Tax

[DJMC]

Whilst some council services are unavailable, should we have a reduction in Council Tax?

And if staff are furloughed, is the Council applying for the 80% government grant?
If so, another reason we shouldn't be paying Council Tax as they then have double income for these staff.

Anyone have any info?

[Ian Geary]

DJMC said:

Whilst some council services are unavailable, should we have a reduction in Council Tax?

And if staff are furloughed, is the Council applying for the 80% government grant?
If so, another reason we shouldn't be paying Council Tax as they then have double income for these staff.

Anyone have any info?

Public sector bodies are not expected to apply for furlough, so no situation of double income likely.

A lot of councils have redeployed staff to cope with sickness..very much all hands to the pumps, especially ones with social care responsibility.

Contrary to the above opinion, costs have not stopped for councils...they're rocketing.

And coupled with a disastrous prediction of lost income (which after 10 years of grant reductions, councils now rely on), it is likely most councils will be facing severe reductions in services unless some significant underwriting is carried out pretty quickly.

I will try and dig out some initial information..It's starting to creep into the press.

[Eric Mc]

Yes - my council has never been busier.

[Ian Geary]

So this is behind a paywall, but people can register for a free trial period

https://www.lgcplus.com/finance/revealed-the-multi...

The bbc is running a diet version

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52329829

Some councils have savings to ride it out, but others don't.

Do to an accounting quirk, losses in business rates income won't hit budgets until the next financial year. But councils will have to take that loss into account when assessing spending levels for 21-22.

Councils legally have to match day to day spending with income, as borrowing isn't allowed for that.

So if income (parking,rents, commercial activities) drops, spending must drop. And quickly. Unfortunately, most spend is statutory, and demand led.

Interesting times ahead and all that.

[abzmike]

Our council is allowing a CT holiday, basically moving the non payment months of Feb/Mar to now.

[Saleen836]

abzmike said:

Our council is allowing a CT holiday, basically moving the non payment months of Feb/Mar to now.

My local council are doing the same, imstead of paying the 1st of the 10 monthy payments at end of April you can start from end of June (you need to speak and confirm it with them though)

[DelicaL400]

DJMC said:

Whilst some council services are unavailable, should we have a reduction in Council Tax?

And if staff are furloughed, is the Council applying for the 80% government grant?
If so, another reason we shouldn't be paying Council Tax as they then have double income for these staff.

Anyone have any info?

Council staff are not furloughed.

While some services are unavailable, other services are operating way in excess of capacity and staff from the services that are not available are now working to support the critical services. Just as an example, I know someone whose job is usually standard office hours in a finance role i.e. they get the bank holidays off. They spent the entire bank holiday weekend making social care support calls to some of the several thousand people who are on the list of folk who are in the at risk group. In hundreds of these cases the at risk person needed support with food, medical supplies, mental and physical wellbeing etc. So the Council had to sort the support requirements too.

While Council staff won't receive any praise or clapping they are part of a whole group of people who are trying to keep vulnerable residents from the "front line". And the financial hit they are taking should really mean that council tax is higher but, of course, they're not allowed to increase it by more than the statutory amount. Councils were already spending 60-70% of their budget on social care due to the huge reduction in central government funding in recent years, this will be even higher now so I expect there will be major consequences in terms of Council finances. Perhaps central government will reverse some of the cuts they have imposed but I doubt it.

[Dog Star]

I think councils really need to do something about local tips - it’s not hard to see how it can be managed that people are kept apart from each other and the staff. Looking at my FB feed from friends all over the UK there’s been a big increase in fly tipping.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I'd happily pay a premium to keep things going.

[paulw123]

Dog Star said:

I think councils really need to do something about local tips - it’s not hard to see how it can be managed that people are kept apart from each other and the staff. Looking at my FB feed from friends all over the UK there’s been a big increase in fly tipping.

Garden waste bins have restarted which is a start.

[paulw123]

Dog Star said:

I think councils really need to do something about local tips - it’s not hard to see how it can be managed that people are kept apart from each other and the staff. Looking at my FB feed from friends all over the UK there’s been a big increase in fly tipping.

Anyone fly tipping is just scum who would do it anyway even if the tip was open let alone in these times

[i4got]

paulw123 said:

Dog Star said:

I think councils really need to do something about local tips - it’s not hard to see how it can be managed that people are kept apart from each other and the staff. Looking at my FB feed from friends all over the UK there’s been a big increase in fly tipping.

Garden waste bins have restarted which is a start.

Mine have't. In fact normal waste has just gone to a two week collection.

[MG CHRIS]

My mum Is a cook who works for a council run coffee shop in a scenic drive they closed the weekend before lock down. The staff have been deployed to get food and supplies for the people in isolation currently on full pay atm. Most other council staff are either doing the same are helping out with refuge collections etc as a few months before a lot of the crew left. I suspect most council are similar.
However I wish they reopen the council tips I got a ton of stuff to get rid of and suspect that's the same for a lot of other people.

[Biker 1]

ash73 said:

Council tax is going to rocket next year; people who are relaxed about this lockdown strategy are going to have a shock.

bks. Mr Sunak will have sorted it all out by then!

[Mojooo]

My local council has just set up a massive morgue and people I know who work there were asked to re-deploy to work there (in admin roles, not in the actual morgue part).

I suspect Councils will take a bit hit in Govt funding in the next few years.

[XCP]

Librarians working at Crematoria where I am

[Magog]

XCP said:

Librarians working at Crematoria where I am

I didn't think we'd got to the Fahrenheit 451 stage quite yet.

[crankedup]

ash73 said:

Council tax is going to rocket next year; people who are relaxed about this lockdown strategy are going to have a shock.

I don’t think it will, people are strapped for cash, unemployment high, central Government increase in taxation’s. At some point squeezing the lemon produces zero extra juice. We may find Government will need to up its contribution to local Councils, of course that comes from tax payers but at least people have more choice of payment.

[crankedup]

XCP said:

Librarians working at Crematoria where I am

Helping with the paperwork only I hope?

[randlemarcus]

crankedup said:

XCP said:

Librarians working at Crematoria where I am

Helping with the paperwork only I hope?

Why? How difficult can it be?