Nottingham City Council make 20% cut to council tax benefits

The Scrap the Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits campaign group were out today campaigning against the 25 Million in cuts to services & benefits.

Residents in the city who are on welfare now face a 20% cut to the Council Tax Benefits they receive. This is roughly £250 a year that people on low incomes and the unemployed in very little benefits will have to find to pay council tax. It is unacceptable that the council should chose to impose these cuts on the residents of Nottingham, especially those who rely on welfare.

Becci Heagney was interviewed
by East Midlands Today
reporter Quentin  Rayner.

Once again the low wage earners and unemployed will be hard hit again after one round of benefit cuts at 8.5% last year, this cut of 20% comes at a time when the Council has increased the rent on its housing stock by more than 17%, these cuts to benefits coupled with the increase in Rent and Council Tax is unacceptable and it is putting people who are already hard hit in to even more hardship unnecessarily.

Nottingham City Council has more than enough reserves to bridge the gap yet they have decided to do the Tories dirty work and have made cuts in welfare benefits. Anyone can become unemployed at any time and may need to access a welfare benefits system that no longer provides the support when needed.

In the cuts to services, the council announced that 76 posts will close to save money, this is at a time where the council have also in the same breath announced that they have taken on 50 apprentices. 

©2014,BBC East Midlands Today.

The Scrap the Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign group are holding their next meeting on the 18th March 2014 @ 7pm at the Chase Neighbourhood Centre in St Anns. The meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend and offers support and information for those who are suffering because of the Bedroom Tax and Council Tax Benefit cuts.