The Labour Group on Tendring District Council (TDC) were celebrating last night as their amendment to the council’s Local Council Tax Relief scheme was voted through with cross party support. TDC had been one of only 26 councils in the country which still took child maintenance into consideration when calculating this benefit and its policy was contradictory to the guidance provided by the Government on the subject.
Initially, the Conservative administration had opposed Labour’s amendment to end this practise even though it only cost the council £4,000 per year but, at a special meeting of the council held last night, the Conservative leader of the council confirmed that he had listened to the case made by the Labour Group and recommended that the council adopt Labour’s position.
Some hard liners within the Conservative ranks refused to follow their leader’s call and only four of his cabinet voted in line with his recommendation but the motion was carried to the delight of the Labour Group.
Deputy leader of the Labour Group, Cllr John Hawkins, who had led Labour’s campaign to remove child maintenance from the calculation, welcomed the Conservative about turn and explained that Tendring had child poverty levels running at 29% and that the government considered excluding child maintenance from such calculations as an aid to reducing child poverty.
Speaking after the meeting the leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Ivan Henderson, said, “There are only a handful of hard line councils who still use child maintenance in this inappropriate way and I am very pleased that Labour has persuaded TDC that it should no longer be one of them. John Hawkins was quite brilliant in putting the Labour case and his legal expertise and experience has won an important victory for vulnerable families in the Tendring District.”
Further information contact Harwich Labour Press Officer Garry Calver
TEL: 01255 551940 email garrycalver@btinternet.com