Council tax discounts may be cut
DISCOUNTS offered on council tax bills by the borough council look set to fall again. Those on benefits, including the disabled,
are set to lose out this time. Last year Maid- stone Council qualified for transitional help from theGovernment, which saw those eligi- ble for support paying aminimum of 8.5% of their council tax bill. But the grantwas only for the first year, and
now the borough faces giving less help. As Downs Mail went to press, the council’s cab- inet was being urged to recommend that the full council agrees the amount expected from April by those on benefit should be 13% of their council tax bill. Single occupiers and benefit for pensioners
will not be affected. An increase to 18.5% had been considered.
Homes crisis A SHORTAGE of social housing for single tenants in Maidstone has been highlighted. The admission, by Maidstone Council’s head of housing John Littlemore, was in response to a Freedom of Information request. The borough council said 638 people were on the waiting list looking for one of the borough’s five one-bedroom properties, while there were 112 people under-occupying their present accommodation and needing a one-bedroom home, at the time of the enquiry. The bill to the borough coun-
cil this financial year for hous- ing benefit was £44,927,712 .
The council recognises that those worst hit
will be those currently receiving most help and has made provision in next year’s budget for an increase in bad debt. If the council fails to adopt a replacement support scheme from April 1, 2014, the scheme will continue in its current format, without the benefit of transitional funding, resulting in more cost to Maidstone Borough Council, KCC, police and the fire service. An officer report suggests: “The proposed scheme looks to provide the correct balance between supporting low income households, the wider interest of residents, the budget constraints on the council…without reduc- ing council services.” Last year, changes to council tax benefit for empty properties saw homeowners liable
after one month, rather than six. The10%re- duction previously offered on second homes was also removed. But the report warns: “The level of future
grants received from the Department for Communities and LocalGovernment to meet the cost of the council tax support scheme is expected to reduce in future years. So, the council will have to identify alternative fund- ing or savings to maintain the proposed scheme in the longer term or consider further reductions in the support made available.” The full council was due to meet on De- cember 11. Under the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the full council must approve the 13% increase by January 31, 2014, or it will be un- lawful to implement it in April.
Inner Wheel marks 70th birthday THE Inner Wheel Club ofMaidstone, formed through Rotary to help with thewar effort at MaidstoneEastStation,has celebratedits 70th birthday. More than 100 ladies attended a district lunch, and president Elizabeth Hext made the birthday cake, which she cut with dis- trict chairman Judith Cooper. Thepair arepic- tured.
Speaker John Pearce
and his wife dressed in war-time uniforms and talkedaboutandplayed GlennMiller music. Members work hard to raise funds for charity – more than 100 have been helped–and there is nowa roadnamedafter the club in Sri Lanka.
J8 meeting MEMBERS of the public are in- vited to a meeting about the proposed light industrial Wa- terside Park development near junction 8 fo the M20. The county council event at
the Great Danes Hotel on the Ashford Road at Hollingbourne on Wednesday, December 11 will include speakers and a question and answer session. Doors open at 6pm.
Waste centre opens THE Household Waste Recy- cling Centre (HWRC) at Burial Ground Lane, Tovil will re-open on Monday December 9 – two weeks later than scheduled.
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