Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer.

This report provides an update on the activity of the Revenues and Benefits Unit as set out in the June 2022 Scrutiny Report, including final details of recently completed Covid schemes and ongoing cost of living schemes delivered by the service.

The committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer which provided an update on the activity of the Revenues and Benefits Unit as set out in the June 2022 Scrutiny Report, including final details of recently completed Covid schemes and ongoing cost of living schemes delivered by the service. 

Key points and themes within the report included:

·         Benefits administration, including Council Tax Support and the management of the Welfare Provision Scheme and other discretionary schemes;

·         The financial support provided by the Household Support Fund scheme; the Energy Grant Scheme; the Council Tax Support Fund; the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding programme; and the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Funding scheme;

·         Performance in the collection of council tax and how the Council balances collection whilst working in an ethical way and supporting those residents on a low income; and

·         Performance in the collection of business rates and the financial support provided to businesses through various Business Rates Reliefs and grants.

·         Data for the 2021/22 financial year and available data to show activity between 1 April and 31 December of the 2022/23 financial year.

 Key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussions included:

·         Commending the service for its work and the support provided to residents; 

·         Whether the Council would be able to continue using earnings and employer information supplied by HMRC if the trial of this scheme was to end; 

·         If the Council attended or was represented at community Cost-of-Living advice events; 

·         Whether the Council could contact residents who had not yet used the Post Office vouchers provided as a one-off grant to households in receipt of Council Tax Support where bank details were not known; 

·         What officers would change if they had a magic wand; 

·         Noting that the temporary Household Support Fund had been extended for 12 months, and how the Council would deal with the impact of this ending;

·         Why 100% of business rates had not yet been collected; 

·         How much of the business rates growth the Council had retained; and

·         Noting that there were 92 residents who earnt over £40,000 a year and were not engaging with the council in respect of arrears and querying the reasons and circumstances behind this. 

The Head of Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services highlighted key points and achievements outlined within the report and explained that the Revenues and Benefits unit sought to ensure that any available local and national funding had the best impact for residents and communities whilst supporting the Council’s priorities and Our Manchester Strategy. 

The Head of Corporate Revenues explained that recent discussions with the Cabinet Office suggested that the HMRC trial would continue for those authorities already participating following productive meetings with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, he confirmed that the Council would not receive earnings and employer information if the scheme was not implemented nationally. 

The Head of Corporate Assessments stated that there was no direct representation of the Revenues and Benefits service at cost-of-living advice events, but other organisations and agencies would be able to signpost attendees to the Council and other schemes if required. He explained that the Helping Hands document captured the range of support available, but discussions could be held with the Neighbourhood teams to understand whether attendance from the Revenues and Benefits unit could add value to the events. 

In response to a query regarding unused Post Office vouchers, the Head of Corporate Assessments explained that the Council had a high level of reach when issuing the Energy Bills rebate compared to other Core Cities and nationally. He explained that there were fewer opportunities to reach residents eligible for the Discretionary Fund and that text messages, postcards and social media posts were used to encourage take up of Post Office vouchers. 

In response to a query as to what officers would change if they had a magic wand, it was suggested that any mistrust of the service or perception that it was not there to help residents would be removed.  

The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer noted that it was difficult to understand the impact of the Household Support Fund ending but the Council could not mitigate for national policy decisions on funding. She explained that the Council would balance the schemes it had in place and the 2024/25 budget would include funding for schemes such as Council Tax Support. 

In response to queries around business rates, the committee was advised that there was still 3 months remaining of the collection period and it was hoped that the collection rate would increase to 97% with officers continuing to pursue collections. The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer confirmed that Greater Manchester as a region retained 100% of business rates growth above the baseline, which equated to approximately £10million per annum for Manchester and a share of this was returned to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). 

A request was made by a member for a map showing the council tax band of every property in individual wards. The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer explained that this information would have to be provided in a citywide map for ethical reasons.  

In response to a query by the Chair, the Head of Corporate Revenues explained that there was a multitude of reasons as to why some residents earning over £40,000 per annum were not engaging with the Council in respect of council tax arrears. Examples included domestic issues, financial troubles and being unwilling to pay. He explained that the HMRC trial helped to engage with residents in this situation. 

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources commended the work of the Revenues and Benefits Unit and took the opportunity to encourage residents in need of help to contact the Council for support. 

Decision:

That the Committee

1.    notes the report, and

2.    expresses hope that the HMRC information-sharing scheme continues and is rolled out nationally.