Council Tax Support Scheme To Continue Without Public Consultation

Isle of Wight residents will not be directly consulted on changes to council tax support worth more than £10 million.

Councillors have agreed to roll forward the existing Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2027/28, with changes only being made where required by law or for administrative reasons.

The scheme helps people on low incomes with their council tax, with the amount of support available depending on individual circumstances and income.

The decision was made by the Isle of Wight Council's Policy, Finance and Resources Committee at a meeting on Thursday (September 10).

Chief finance officer Adam Richens said the council has "very scarce capacity" and needs to focus its resources on addressing its wider financial challenges.

The council currently faces a £66 million funding gap over three years and continues to rely on Exceptional Financial Support from the government.

An original recommendation proposed that consultation on the scheme should not take place for as long as the council remained under EFS.

But that part of the recommendation was removed following a proposal from All For Islanders group leader, Councillor Chris Jarman.

The Totland and Colwell representative said the council's financial position was changing rapidly and it would be "presumptive" to assume Exceptional Financial Support would continue indefinitely.

The existing Local Council Tax Support Scheme will therefore remain in place for 2027/28, subject to any changes required by legislation or administrative necessity.