Welcome: Mandy Seaman welcomed those in attendance and introduced Paul Harding from Taunton Deane Borough Council

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1 Taunton Deane Disability Discussion Group Notes from the meeting held on Tuesday 25 th September 2012 Compass Disability Services Welcome: Mandy Seaman welcomed those in attendance and introduced Paul Harding from Taunton Deane Borough Council Item 1: Paul Harding, Corporate & Client Services Lead Taunton Deane Borough Council Paul provided a presentation to the group (copy enclosed) and explained that the reason for his attendance was to raise awareness of the changes taking place with how people get help paying their council tax from April As a result of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the current scheme for Council Tax benefit will be abolished from 1 st April 2013 Last year Taunton Deane Borough Council gave out 7m a year in Council Tax benefit. Residents can receive up to 100% benefit currently and for every pound the council pays out in council tax benefit, they get a pound back. The government reimburses the council currently to match demand. Paul explained that back in 1997, about 2bn was paid out in Council Tax benefit. In 2010, it s more than doubled, to 4bn. This is one reason why Government is focusing on that, to put some control in place. In Taunton Deane, a slide was shown from showing how much has been paid out in Council Tax benefit from 3.6M in 2002 to 6.8M in 2010/11. From 1 st April 2013 any other discounts like 25% sole occupier discount will stay. The most significant change next year is that instead of the Government giving a pound for every pound they pay out, they will give local Councils a fixed sum of money. The Department of Work and Pensions will give them 6.3M, approx. 90% (or 700K less) of what they get now, a funding cut of 10%, so they will have less money. The national scheme is to be abolished and councils have to design their own scheme for working age residents. Pensioners will not be affected. If the expenditure on council tax benefit rose, the gap would be even bigger. So increased demand, but less money to support people. If there was a 700,000 funding gap the county council would have to bear most of that shortfall. The 1

2 Police get the next biggest share and the Fire & Rescue service would have to fund 36,000. Taunton Deane would have to find about 70,000. Those affected by the changes are working age people who currently claim Council Tax benefit. The Government has said to local councils you can do pretty much what you like. Those who are not affected are; Pensioners the Government is to have a national set of rules for people of pension age, mirroring the current scheme. So you would get pretty much the same as now. From April next year, a Pensioner is a person over 61 years as at 1 April At the moment they are not sure about mixed-age couples, where one is a pensioner, and one isn t, whether they are a pensioner couple or working age couple. There are 45,000 Council Tax households in Taunton Deane. About 11% of households in Taunton Deane will be affected approximately 4,500 households. Although the Government has given a free hand for designing the scheme, there are key considerations; they have to protect pensioners, the new scheme has to support work. It also has to be an affordable scheme and consider statutory issues equalities, no discrimination, must be fair and reasonable, need to make adjustments, e.g. for carers and disabled people. This has to come in by April next year and they must consider the views of the major preceptors the main bodies to whom the funding goes Somerset County Council, Police, Fire, etc. It is not possible for every council in the country to come up with a radical new scheme. They have looked at keeping many of the features of the current scheme, which seem fair and reasonable, e.g. how people with caring responsibility or disabilities are treated. They have also tried to work with the other Somerset District Councils to try and agree some common principles. The Somerset schemes proposed are likely to be similar but not identical as the councillors have to make the final decisions. The aim is for the schemes to be cost neutral so they should pay out no more than Government gives them. 2

3 The proposed scheme Key changes Currently working age people can receive 100% benefit. The council don t feel that is affordable from April. They feel that the maximum benefit will be 75-80% of Council Tax everyone will have to pay something. Non-dependant deductions will be increased. If an adult son or daughter lives in a property, Council Tax benefit would be reduced in proportion to that previously. The proposal is to increase those deductions as they are at present. Second Adult rebate someone with too much income to claim support can get help if they have someone in their house with a low income. They can currently get up to 25% reduction for that. This element will be abolished by Taunton Deane and most other councils. Council Tax benefit is means tested. Certain things are ignored from that certain disability benefits, which will continue to be and Child Benefit. Child maintenance will be treated as income. The reason is that it can be very high amounts of money. If that income was earned an individual would get no help. They get full Council Tax benefit, at present, but that doesn t seem fair, that will be discontinued. The first part of earnings has been ignored, historically. They intend to increase those disregards, to support the transition into work. This won t make a big difference to our income but will help people starting work. This also fits in with Government policy to support employment. They also intend to create hardship fund for people who lose out and find things a struggle. They hope that this will be about 10-15,000 to provide short-term support. The aim of this is for people who have lost their job or had a family crisis and have needed to take time off work, or for people with mental health issues meaning they are off work to help bridge the gap. Alternatives Paul discussed what the possible alternatives could be; To exempt some groups from the change? Currently all groups are included, those with disability, single parents and so on. If they protect one group more than another, there s less help for others. And there is the danger that in protecting one group, this could leave them open to challenge from other groups. So everyone is to be treated the same though treatment of certain incomes such as disability benefit is different. 3

4 If the scheme stays as it is one alternative is to increase Council Tax which is not popular. Only 10% of people are affected by this change, if they did this then 100% of people would be affected. The consultation so far shows even split those who get benefit want to keep it. The general message otherwise is don t put up our council tax. Other options include cutting costs and services, raising additional income and using the council s reserves, which would be easier if other budgets weren t being cut. Funding reductions are going on in other areas. The Council faces a 700k shortfall in next year s budget. Grants are being reduced; there is a reduction in car parking income. The economy is sluggish and so income from parking is declining. Consultation A consultation is currently underway regarding this. Every working age council tax benefit recipient has been written to and informed about the changes and the consultation. Special interest groups have been written to such as Compass, CAB and Age UK. The consultation has been publicised in the County Gazette and a webpage created. Paper questionnaires have been made available at Council offices, Community Centres and Citizens Advice. A poster has been sent to every Parish Clerk to display in a village hall or noticeboard, to raise awareness of consultation exercise. They have met various other groups The Gypsy and Traveller Forum, Tenant Services Management board, and Revenues and Benefits have a Customer Forum. Paul urged people to get involved in the consultation even if you are not directly involved in the changes. Questionnaires were made available to the group for completion. The closing date for the consultation is 5 th October. Questions from participants included; What is classed as retirement age? State age now is for some people. For the purpose of this scheme the age that applies is 61 from next April. Regarding the need to cut costs one person said they get loads of pieces of paper to indicate they are exempt. Paul explained that the council would like to stop that and they are going to stop the glossy booklets coming out each year with the Council Tax bill. Information can be published on the website and if people want information, it can be sent to them on request. Previously it used to be that if you had over 16,000 in the bank you don t qualify, is this still the case? This hasn t changed. Some councils have tried 4

5 to bring that threshold down, but the council want to encourage people to save and if they changed that figure, it s a penalty on people saving. So 16k is the threshold. What about working age people living in a house alone? If you are on income support and live alone, you pay no council tax but you will be expected to pay 20% from next year. About 140 yourself, on Band A, which is about 3 per week. For second homes there s some changes that the Government is allowing councils to make. At present, if you are in second home, the most the council can charge is 90% of full council tax bill. From next April, councils can have discretion not to discount like that and charge 100% of the bill. A member asked why would you do that? Paul advised that it seems the right thing benefits are being cut for those of working age, and they are being asked to pay more for council tax. So why allow those with second homes to get discount. A comment was made that wealth is relative and if someone long-term unemployed is being asked to find more money, it s not relative asking the people with second homes to pay more. Asking the lowest paid people to pay more, it s like paying a fine not the same as paying a small amount for people who are wealthy. Paul Harding can be contacted on or e mail p.harding@tauntondeane.gov.uk Item 2: John Lewis, Parking and Civil Contingencies Manager, Taunton Deane Borough Council John Lewis is responsible for running the council s car parks, looking after Shopmobility and emergency planning for floods etc. From June last year the County Council took over responsibility for enforcement, which is the people in burgundy uniforms, not green. They are employed by NSL, working under contract to Somerset County Council. They enforce onstreet parking and car park services. They are contracted enforcement services which is a major change. The Council has been looking at their car parking strategy for the next 10 years, with the aim of better management of parking spaces. 5

6 There are currently 3 types of customers using spaces; Shoppers local people or those coming in from away, Visitors and Commuters anyone who drives into work. Concerns are based from where car parks are central ones, near the shops, those further out, and the ones on the edge of town commuter car parks. The council does not want lots of long-term parking in town they wish to have spaces available for shoppers. Currently blue badge holders can display them free of charge for any length of time, in any spaces which is not meeting everyone s current needs as the council won t have enough designated bays. The council does not meet the Dept. of Transport guidelines on this at the moment, so they have been considering how to manage this. John said that it s not about income and the council are proposing to keep things simple for motorists by providing 3 hours free parking in yellow spaces the same as you get 3 hours on street currently now, in certain places. Free parking will apply only in the designated spaces using an ordinary space means you have to pay. One person commented that there aren t enough spaces and people shouldn t be in the yellow bays sometimes. John responded to say that if a vehicle is in a car park displaying a blue badge it s hard for the enforcement team to know if the badge is being used properly or not. They can t go up to someone and say prove to me you re disabled. The Government is looking at guidelines for issuing of badges, through the Dept. of Health. There is to be a new national scheme on that, there will be a register of badge holders, making it easier to check if badges have been forged, or being used by others after the holder s death. There are people who abuse badges and your badge can be taken away and you would be fined, but it s hard to do that. Badges are currently being used in car parks for whole days which means they are being used by workers. Not being used for what they want them to be used for, shoppers and visitors to come into town and do business in the town centre. By limiting the use to three hours, they believe they will get that turnover. 6

7 One person commented that there are exceptions for example attending a meeting such as this you would be over the three hours. This would mean you would be charged for attending a meeting. As a disabled person you can t move as fast. The participant felt the disabled people are being victimised. John asked where participants parked and said that no decisions have been made yet. 10 years ago charges for parking for badge holders were brought in and were removed again. Since then nothing has been done on management of spaces and the council need to provide the right amount of dedicated spaces that meet Government guidelines. For big car parks that is 3 bays, or 6% of the total, whichever is the larger. For over 200 spaces, it s 4 bays. There are 20 yellow bay spaces in The Orchard Shopping Centre. There should be 26. The Council will increase those and ensure that they are managing spaces properly and providing what the Dept. of transport says is needed. Their guidelines have been set up with long consultations and have been in place for a long time. John advised that it is all about turnover and ensuring badge holders can go about their business. There will be occasions when 3 hrs is not enough for some. It s not about money or ability to pay in a car park. The possible revenue they may obtain from these changes is just 5,000 per year, on car park business of 3m, so it s not about generating money. If the Council looked at ability to pay, then they would be looking at all sorts of different parts of the community people on low incomes who are not blue badge holders have to pay the full amount. It is about trying to use the spaces. The purpose of attending the meeting is to give people the opportunity to let the Council know what you think in a constructive way, so that they can take on board people s views. There isn t a strict timetable for when they are looking to implement. Mandy raised an issue from a member who could not attend regarding the display of blue badges. What happens if someone is not displaying one and is parking in a designated bay? The rules require blue badge holders to display a badge when they are in a vehicle that has been parked for them. If I am a badge holder and my family member takes me into town and parks in a designated bay, I must ensure my badge is displayed, the right way up, not the photo side the one with the 7

8 membership number and expiry date. Anyone enforcing the rules can then see it s a current blue badge. John responded to say that the Council s policy has always been that if the badge is not visible in a designated bay, or not displayed in a way that they can check it s valid, a penalty ticket will be issued. If a valid blue badge is produced, they would cancel that charge. If it continues it becomes an education issue. Blue badges are a two-edged thing; they bring some benefit but carry some responsibility. They need to be used properly. When you receive your badge, you also receive a booklet on how to display it and where and when you can park. Discussions then took place regarding the use of badge holders and suggestions that they should be standard as they help to ensure badges are displayed the right way up. One participant shared their experience of when they used their badge to park in Hammet Street and forgot to display the time. They received a fine which was removed later following production of their badge. Another issue was raised regarding Wessex Water carrying out work in Monkton Heathfield. No information was made available on when the works would be finished. The location of the works meant that they couldn t get out of their housing estate for weeks. The nearest bus stop was ¾ mile away and they felt isolated. As this does not come under the responsibility of the Borough Council John could not comment on this. Another member asked about parking spaces outside of town, like supermarkets, whose responsibility is that? Spaces are misused where there are no wardens around. John confirmed that a lot of supermarkets do have rules, maximum stays etc. It is private property. Morrison s, for example, has a contractor that checks their car park. Mandy raised another issue from a member who could not attend asking if the Council could produce a clear and concise document explaining the provisions in Taunton for on and off road parking, without citing they are a special case, 8

9 which they are not. Can this include the height restrictions? Many boroughs give disabled drivers free parking within their time restrictions. John responded to say that it is easier to say what badge holders are able to do rather than listing all the different rulings for different streets. On- street a blue badge holder can park for up to 3 hours in areas where there are no bans on loading. If there are double marks on the kerb definitely badge holders can t park there. Single marks have restrictions for certain hours. There are onstreet charged bays in the centre of town. Badge holders can park in those for up to three hours. In council car parks, at present, badge holders can park free with no time limit. Those are the restrictions that apply all across Taunton and Wellington, and places where there are yellow lines. A document to list all of those would not meet the clear and concise part of the request. None of this is particular to Taunton. The restrictions for badges are clearly explained in the booklet everyone gets with a badge. In our car parks, there is no requirement for badge holders to pay. When charges were brought in 10 years ago pay machines were lowered. The print on the big noticeboards is designed to be read by people with varying ability to read and is in simple typeface so should be clear enough. Regarding height restrictions there is only one car park with height restrictions in the Orchard Centre which is not out of date. One member said they used their scooter to go to the first floor of the Orchard Centre on the 22 nd September and only one lift was working causing congestion for many. No engineer was present to work on them. John confirmed that the lifts in the centre are run by the centre. The others are the council s but they are having trouble with them. They are 40 years old and wearing out. A lot of moment has been spent on the maintenance of these. In the last month the council has voted to spend 180,000 in the future on them. The member felt that there should be new lifts instead of repairing old ones. Free parking is being offered in the town centre, the money should be spent on other things. The parts are on order for the lifts but are taking a while to arrive. The latest breakdowns were very unfortunate and John apologised for the inconvenience caused. With the money being spent on the lifts, they hope to make them reliable for the future. Money will also be spent on the car park. Previously the 9

10 multi storey car park was going to be demolished as part of Project Taunton s plan to knock things down. That is not going to happen now. Latest proposals include keeping the car park for years. So money will be spent on replacing the lifts, there will be some disruption while this takes place. The member asked if something could be provided specifically to get to Shopmobility. It would be good if it was on the ground floor but there isn t anywhere to locate it. The area near Hatchers was suggested as a good place. The council provides Shopmobility on the first floor of The Orchard Centre. The scheme has been there since 1994, and it was deliberately put there because that was dry. There was plenty of parking by it and it was right on top of the shops. It was also an area the council owned, so the cost of putting up the offices there was small. They did consider putting it in one of the surface car parks the Crescent, behind Boots but parking spaces would have been taken out of use to build the facility and it would have cost more. Free parking for Shopmobility would not have been possible to offer. An issue regarding access to Shop mobility was also raised. Now that Transporting Somerset has stopped their volunteer driver service the minibus can t get in there. Why can t they find a way of dropping off outside Shopmobility? The full reason for the decision to remove the service was not known. It was suggested to contact John Perrett at Transporting Somerset on this issue. The member that raised this also commented that the location of shop mobility is not practical, it would be better to be on the ground floor. Mandy closed the meeting but asked members to forward any ideas for speakers for future meetings e.g. February Date of next meeting Tuesday 27 th November 2013 Speakers attending are Somerset Community Care Matters and Somerset Advice Network. 10