2. MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING:

Tracey Smith – with regards to the FinanceDepartment looking in to holding an event/drop in session their response is detailed below.

Action: Finance Department to look into holding an event/drop-in session for residents, community/voluntary groups to attend to be able to gain further advice and support on these changes and to give residents as much information to help them understand the changes that may effect them.

Response from Finance

From an operational perspective since the early reforms started to be implemented, April 2010 we have consistently been administering the corresponding changes as part of the routine administration of the Housing Benefit /Council Tax Benefit schemes.  This necessitated advising those affected, including stakeholders such as landlords, where it was appropriate to do so, of the imminent change and then writing to the individuals concerned as the change to their claim was actioned.  On an ongoing basis this has continued and the same practice is being followed with the more significant reform changes:-

Extension of shared room rate to under 35 year olds – Those affected were written to, on three occasions during 2011/2012 , advising of the change, that it would affect them and how.  Their landlords were also contacted and advised accordingly and encouraged to speak directly with any tenants affected about their increased liability for rent.

Social Sector size criteria – Have all been written to, Nov 2012, advised of the change and implications, asked to fill in a benefit review form, landlords also working directly with officers and will be advised of all tenants affected in near future

Benefit Cap – All those identified as being affected, likely to be affected, written to in Nov 2012.  Further plans to write and potentially undertake home visits in certain cases and once the schedule for implementation on Wirral is known.

Council Tax Support Scheme – Public consultation and targeted consultation, all those of working age currently in receipt of Council Tax Benefit will be written to in February, circa 22K, advising of the change, what it broadly means and a revision of their Council Tax Benefit claim as it transfers to Council Tax Support Scheme will follow, notification of entitlement to follow etc. Every household in Wirral will be informed of the changes along with their Council Tax bill for 2013-14 and invited to apply if applicable.

Local Welfare Assistance-The council is responsible for Crisis Loans and Community Care grants previously administered by Department of Working Pensions. The Council is currently setting up the required processes to administer this new scheme.

Council Tax Discount and Exemption changes-These changes will affect in excess of 8,000 properties and will result in the owners being billed for an additional £3million. Owners affected by these changes will be written to at the end of February.

These changes are also publicised through the Council’s web pages, which also includes the recently concluded Public Consultation around the Council Tax Support Scheme and to the landlord community through a variety of media, the dedicated focus group, Wirral ‘s Private Landlord Forum, the Social Sector Forum and through features in Wirral’s Landlord Link-up magazine.  Partners in the voluntary/ advice sector are also kept abreast of the changes and significantly Wirral’s approach in their administration and response to the impacts, again this is done through the long term established Voluntary  Sector Forum.

Officers are currently working with colleagues in PR regarding the next step which supplements the directed contacts, i.e. wider publicity for the changes generally. This is planned to include the use of  “mail chimp”  which will send an email to all those registered on the council’s emailing list, social networking sites such as Twitter & Facebook together with appropriately timed press releases and any other cover that press and PR colleagues advise is likely to secure interest/ reach the wider Wirral public.

In view of the vast raft of changes from 1 April 2013 and that the Government are continuing to change the various schemes so near the start date, such as postponing the benefit cap, it was felt that the client base was better served with individual contact, albeit sometimes on 2 or 3 separate occasions rather than hold event/drop in

Q: Welfare and benefits coming in now – it is very low key and not very publicised at all with regards to council tax.

A: Tracey Smith – as far as I am aware the 22% council tax is not until 2014.

Cllr Steve Foulkes – there was a notice of motion at the last full council to galvanize a plan.  The area where the gap is the residents in private sector.  Might be worth making people aware that pay day loan companies are using this to try and get people to get loans.

Cllr Ann McLachlan – people are knocking on doors in the local area and saying they are provident loans but it is a front for pay day loans.