The Independent Revenues & Benefits Discussion Group met on 21 July 2025 to reflect on two significant developments: the proposed council tax exemption for terminally ill residents and the government’s investment in local service “innovation squads.” Exempting the Terminally Ill: Well-Meaning but Misplaced? Malcolm Gardner opened the meeting by highlighting a campaign led by Marie…
Category: DWP
Tensions in Council Tax Collection: Balancing Policy, Affordability, and Public Perception
Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group 7 July 2024 At the latest meeting of the Independent Revenues & Benefits (R&B) Group, members grappled with a familiar but still unresolved dilemma: how to reconcile the administrative and political pressures of council tax collection with the realities of household poverty, affordability, and fairness. Council Tax Write-Offs and Public…
Independent R&B Discussion Group: Spending Review Analysis
The latest meeting of the Independent R&B Discussion Group, chaired by Malcolm Gardner, convened to discuss the recent Spending Review and its implications across government departments, local authorities, and welfare provision. The session included detailed contributions from a range of experts: Paul Howarth, Gareth Morgan, Alex Clegg, Rachael Walker, Sean O’Sullivan, Robert Fox, and Bob…
Tackling Child Poverty: A Policy Tipping Point?
Independent Revenues & Benefits Discussion Group – 2 June 2025 The latest session of the Independent R&B Discussion Group brought together leading professionals across the UK to reflect on the continued delays in the UK Government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy, the contentious two-child benefit cap, and the real-world impacts facing councils and communities. Hosted by…
Council Tax Support in Crisis: Local Discretion or Structural Inequity?
Summary of Independent R&B Discussion Group – 19 May 2025 The Independent Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group convened on 19 May to review recent trends in Council Tax Reduction (CTR) schemes, using a new report from Policy in Practice—authored by Izabel Bahia and Rachael Walker—as a starting point for discussion. The report charts changes in…
VN Monday Discussion Group 4/11/24 The Autumn Budget
On 4 November 2024, the Independent R&B Discussion Group met to examine the latest budget and its implications for local services, public spending, and policies affecting welfare and business rates. Led by Malcolm Gardner, the session provided detailed insights from experts in local government finance and welfare, with a focus on emerging policies and the…
14/10/24 VN: Monday Discussion Group Minimum Income Floor, Six Month Warnings & Pension Credit Take-up
The Independent R&B Discussion Group held on 14 October 2024, covered a range of topics related to government reports, pension credit uptake, and Universal Credit issues. Below is a summary of the key points from the discussion, with comments attributed to various speakers. Overview of the Government Reports Malcolm Gardner initiated the conversation by noting…
Economic Challenges and AI Opportunities for Local Government
Difficult Inheritance: Navigating Weak Growth and High Debt The new government steps into an economic quagmire marked by weak growth, high taxes, and a government debt that has tripled since 2007. Public spending is teetering on the brink of crisis with deteriorating public services adding to the urgency. Fiscal pressures are mounting due to an…
Jan 1 2024 Revenues and Benefits Update Pack
Happy New Year. I wanted to drop you a quick message during our holiday break. I’ve prepared a pack with the latest updates on revenues and benefits, covering what’s been happening with council finances and recent developments from the last couple of weeks. There’s some positive news about the funding settlement, although it still doesn’t…
Monday Discussion Group 26/11/23 Autumn Statement, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In our last meeting of 2023, we’ll be back on January 8, 2024, we covered the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and its effects on the Revenues and Benefits department, along with its impact on citizens and stakeholders. We went through various topics, including changes in business rates, unexpected effects on council tax reduction schemes, and how…