The Labour Group leader for Worthing Borough Council has called the scrapping of the Minimum Council Tax charge an "utter disgrace," as it comes too late to benefit families this year.
The Labour Group say they've been calling on the Conservative administration to scrap the charge, which requires households in the borough with the lowest incomes to pay £260 per year.
Labour Group leader Cllr Dr Beccy Cooper, said:
“At last, they’ve agreed to get rid of this grossly unfair charge on the families in Worthing who are finding it hardest to make ends meet, but they’ve made the decision too late for it to be applied for the coming year."
"This is an utter disgrace. They’ve finally woken up to the fact that there’s a cost-of-living crisis that’s leaving thousands of households across the town struggling to pay their bills for food and heating, but they’ve left it too late for them to get the benefit of not having to pay the minimum Council Tax charge until April 2023. That’s 15 months away.”
The Conservatives group announced at this week’s Joint Strategic Committee that they have increased the hardship fund by £100,000 until the charge can be scrapped.
“That’s £765,000 short of the total needed to write off this bill for the 3,328 households who will be charged this year,” said Cllr Cooper.
"We are outraged for all our residents who will continue to have to pay this charge for another year," said Cllr Margaret Howard, a Labour Councillor who has lobbied constantly for this charge to be dropped. "We are seeing more and more families in our local food banks and falling into rent arrears.
“If this Conservative Council was actually serious about serving its residents fairly and giving all our families every opportunity to thrive, this charge would have been dropped years ago. There would definitely not have been the inexcusable delay that means those struggling in our communities are going to be crippled by a Council Tax charge for another year,"
The conservative administration has been approached for comment.
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