For 2 years Central Beds Council have failed to give over £90,000 a year due to Houghton Regis Town Council. In addition to council tax, local Town and Parish Councils should get a Support Grant. It is included in the money given to CBC by the government. It covers loss of payment from those who are on lower council tax bills, such as the disabled.
All of the Independent CBC Councillors voted to pass this much-needed Support Grant money to Town and Parish Councils. A government minister confirmed that this money should have been passed on.
Central Bedfordshire Council have behaved like a greedy boy who has been given a bag of sweets and told by his Westminster father to share them with his friends. Instead, the greedy boy has scoffed the lot!
I asked if the government had given similar advice to local authorities like Central Bedfordshire, for the current financial year.
Letter
28 April 2015
Dear Mr Winter
Thank you for your email of 26 February to Brandon Lewis about his letter to Local Authority Leaders to encourage them to pass local council tax support to parish and town councils. I have been asked to reply on his behalf.
Since Brandon Lewis wrote to the billing authorities last year Kris Hopkins, who has taken over Brandon Lewis’ ministerial responsibility for council tax, wrote to all billing authorities on 19 February 2015 along similar lines. A copy of his letter is available on the government website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parish-funding-for-local-council-tax-support-scheme (see below)
Regards
Richard McDonagh
Council Tax Division
Department for Communities and Local Government
SE 2nd Floor Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Telephone 0303 444 0000
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