Please see below a question and a motion for Full Council on 24th September. The motion is item 17 (
see here), and the question is item 19, of the agenda –
see here. The meeting is held in the Council Chamber of Mendip District Council offices, Shape Mendip hub, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet. To speak at the meeting you will need to register in advance –
please see here. For more info on the SCC cuts
please see here. For more on the previous work on bailiffs
please see here.
‘Motion: Somerset County Council cuts:
The Council:
1. Expresses its concern about the potential impacts of Somerset County Council’s recently announced cuts to services on residents in the district and on the infrastructure our communities depend on, including from reductions in support to Mendip Citizens Advice, support for young carers and the Youth Services, and reductions in the winter road gritting and road maintenance services.
2. Expresses particular concern that sizeable funding cuts to Citizens Advice services (which gives vital and cost-effective support to residents and reduces demand for Council services) is likely to be counter-productive and increase the demand for Council statutory services.
3. Supports Somerset County Council’s Leader David Fothergill’s recent statement that “local government’s continuous lobbying [of Government] for more funding simply hasn’t been heard”.
4. Requests that the Chief Executive writes to the district’s Members of Parliament (for Wells, and Somerton & Frome) to ask them to lobby Government for additional financial assistance for local public services in Somerset, and to report back on their efforts.
5. Resolves to show community leadership and work with other district councils and parish/ town/ city councils and other stakeholders where appropriate, to identify how the Council can step up and support county services affected, and act to mitigate their effects.
6. Resolves to, in particular, urgently review how the Council can provide additional support to Mendip Citizens Advice’s services, to mitigate the counter-productive loss of funding.
Submitted by cllrs Adam Boyden and Ros Wyke, 12 September 2018.
N.B. Additional background information will be provided before the meeting, when the decisions at SCC Cabinet on 12/9/18 are clear.
Question:
In light of the Motion to Full Council in October 2015 on the Council’s use of enforcement agents to collect Council Tax in relation to families with children and people in financial distress, the cross-party review undertaken and the report endorsed by Scrutiny Board in March 2016, and as the Council is now signed up to the LGA’s joint Council Tax Protocol with Citizens Advice, how many households have been referred to enforcement agents each year since March 2016, what are the reasons for any increases in referrals, and how is the Council working to ensure the Protocol is being adhered to?
cllr Adam Boyden
Frome College ward’
Pleased to hear you are continuing to highlight the use of bailiffs. The policy of making people pay the whole year’s Council Tax if a payment is missed is unrealistic if people are struggling, recent article on BBC website shows this : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45581526