News story 17.1.05

an Amendment to the above regs was laid before parliament on 12.1.05, adding a new section (5) to the SS (C&B) regs section 123 - which basically required alll LA's with reponsibilty for HB/CTB to write personally to olders persons who may be entitled to CTB.

This was to be brought into force by means of Stat Instrument as and when by the Sec of State - does anyone know if he has actually enacted it now - can't find any referral to it on the news stories since, but assume it has been - particularly since we now have the scans from the Pension Service. I would like to know the SI number

was this the Council Tax Benefit (Entitlement Information) Bill

if so .... not aware of it having got anywhere

Thanks Shawn

That was the amending Bill, but I hadn't seen any SI going out either, implementing it.

Council Tax Benefit (Entitlement Information) Bill
Private Members' Bill, Tony Baldry

House Stage Date

Commons 1st reading 12/01/2005
Commons 2nd reading 04/02/2005

A Bill to require billing authorities and local authorities to contact pensioners who may be entitled to council tax benefit.

Do not know of any further info either.

Thanks

also see below - there was an objection and it's to be read again 0n 1st July

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COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT (ENTITLEMENT INFORMATION) BILL 2004/05
top
12.01.05
429 c313
Presentation and first reading. (Bill 33 of 2004/05). To be read a second time 4 February.

12.01.05
Bill 33 2004/05
Presented by Tony Baldry.
link
04.02.05
430 c1151
Order for second reading read. Objection taken. To be read a second time 1 July.

Instead, the DWP have provided a list of pensioners who may be entitled and heavily “leaned” on Councils to contact them before July.

The problem is, most people on the list are non-deps or just not liable for Council Tax, so far it appears to be a lot of extra work for LAs to obtain very small results in the form of new claims.

We are still working through our list so perhaps things will pick up, but not looking good so far.

Out of interest, how are you contacting them - just a letter with a form inviting them to claim, or what?

We have a list of 1007 possibles, and from early indications it appears that out of those there are a small number have passed away, are not registered for CTB at the address, are non deps or have moved to residential accom - this still leaves a hard core of about 850 who appear to be paying full CT, which will be passed to the WR team to contact - in that we had contact in the past 12 months with some 1200 people for one reason or another, that could represent about 7 to eight months work.

If we sent out a blanket letter, we would be inundated with enquiries, and a fast growing band of increasingly irate pensioners: therefore we would be interested in how others in the same situation are proposing to handle these scans.

We are telephoning where possible, visiting where not.
Our list is 730, but we are only 200 or so into it, so hopefully things will improve.