APPENDIX 1a
Comments from the IWC Local Council Tax Support Scheme Consultation 2020/21
The above consultation was undertaken between 10 June 2019 and 5 August 2019. On completion, a
total of 199 responses had been received. The comments below detail the responses received where
questions asked for a response of the participants.

Question 12 asked:

Should the Council keep the current Local Council Tax Support Scheme? (Should it
continue to reduce Council Tax for eligible claimants in the way and to the extent that it
does at the moment?)
Of the 199 participants; 40 answered ‘yes’.

Question 13 asked:
If yes, how would we meet the administration costs this would create as a result?
There were then 36 comments submitted:
Become more efficient throughout your organisation.
Chain ferry removal and sold on to someone else. Or sell it off as a franchise.
Cut the expenses allowance to councillors
Get rid of at least half of the councillors cut the amount of money they are paid reduce expense
claims by at least 75% And all the so called experts paid for by the council as consultants
GET RID OF USLESS COUNCILORS
Higher earners take a pay cut. Reduce- hospitality and expenses eg. trips to Jersey! Invest in an
auto calculating system for Universal Credit recovers who work and month by month their Council
Tax amount changes.
I am sure you can cut the few services that are left and ran by the council ,a cut the wages of the
current Councillors that have proved not good value ,Send the floating bridge back and demand a
refund ,and charge a tourist tax as they do in Spain and elsewhere to pay for the toilets ,beach
clean ,rubbish and bring back some services ,any more advice please ask,I do not currently charge
a Consultation fee
I don't have access to the figures so those that do can sort it out without penalising vulnerable
residents.
Ideally provide full employment so that LCTS is not required.
Increase Council Tax
Look at all options again first
Make savings elsewhere
Make the savings some where else as not every one has or will be moved onto Universal Credit at
this time.
Perhaps you could cut those new management jobs that you created last year.
https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/16312258.400000-bill-for-new-managers-at-county-hallbranded-an-insult-to-isle-of-wight-tax-payers/
Put more information on the council website instead of leaflets and booklets, to make savings on
administration costs as most people now have access to a computer.
Reduce councillors pay
Reduce councillors salaries and expense accounts.
Reduce finacial waste in the council. Reduce expense budgets. Cut / reduce the highest rates of
pay in the council. Sell art investments and use the to invest in revenue generating projects. Sell
prime council owned office buildings and move council offices to functional cheaper rented
industrial area complexes.

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 Reduce the extortionate pay of consultants and executives. More qualified employees would do
the work at a much lesser cost per annum. Anyone would join a gravy train if given the
opportunity. The council is one of those. Any private company would be bankrupt without a
bottomless pit. Budgets are totally misspent including. I do not know how they can sleep at but
ripping off the tax payer with irresponsible decision making.
Reduce the pay of the top earners( you know who you are) in the council. The disparity of wages
in county hall is a disgrace.
reduce the payroll of higher paid salaries
Reduction in councillors wages
Scheme 2 sounds fairer, and fits in with the new Universal Credit.
Stop giving pay rises to those at the top i.e. councillors and stop wasting taxpayers money on
frivolities
Stop people having to hand in uc details every month
Stop spending endless amounts on the stupid floating bridge and high allowances to senior
councillors!
STOP USING COMPOTERS AND USE PEN & PAPER INSTEAD ALL YOU THINK IS EVERYONE CAN USE
COMPEUTERS I'M 60ISH I CAN'T BRING BACK HANDS ON STOP WASTEING INK TREES THIS FORM
FOR YES/NO 2 SHEETS REASONS NO MORE THAN 6 INSTEAD 21 PAGES MEERKAT SIMPLY USE
BOTH SIDES OF THE PAGE AND REDUCE GAP ON PRINTING SIMPLE
______
Stop using our money to chauffeur the councillors about & cut costs in other areas
Take a pay cut
Tax second home owners if they can afford a second home they can pay double Council Tax.
That is entirely up to the Council. That is why they are being paid. Managers must manage.
That's your job to decide, no one elses. How about spending less on plants to make the place look
nice for tourists? You seem to spend more on that than much needed services.
The link to the consultation document is not working
Tory councillors should take a 75% pay cut.
You are asking the most vulnerable and those on low incomes, or the many that WORK and do not
meet thresholds to pay more....but still exist on the lowest level of incomes. You cannot stretch
people any further... I would be more than happy to take more time to think about this and speak
in person. We need to address our ageing population and lack of investment in post secondary
education, to find ways to enable families to support their children without continually working
extra hours for nothing. It is an absolute tragedy that working people are barely better off than on
benefits....trying to show a decent example to the (very near) next tax payers ( your
children)....although many will probably have to leave the island to achieve their success. It is
unrealistic to ask people who have no actual knowledge of budgets, policy, and all the costs that
contribute to our council tax, or indeed where it needs to be distributed.
You employ people to answer this question. If they can't then perhaps save costs by firing them.

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 Question 15 asked:

If you have any further comments to make regarding the Local Council Tax Support
scheme that you haven't had opportunity to raise elsewhere, please use the space below.
Of the 199 participants, 35 provided further comments to Question 15:
Any scheme should encourage self sufficiency and discourage relying on benefits for anyone who
is capable of working.
apply as much of an individuals income as possible, including all universal credit - income is
income, irrespective of what it is called and why or how it is obtained. total income -relates to
ability to pay for council services, such as refuse collection - we all generate rubbish - elderly,
disabled and unemployed as well as employed workers.
As above, I believe the council spends far too much money on administration.
As an OAP this document is far to complexed for me to fully understand. To save money decrease
to payments made to councillors whom I think are paid far too much for their services, and stand
for election for the money
As I have said before in previous comments, you can not keep on reducing the support to those
people who are living on the breadline especially single adults who really struggle, pensioners
have double the income & if on pension credit guarantee pay nothing, how is this fair!!!!
BE MORE HAND'S ON MULITY TASK AND IF YOU CAN LIKE MOST OF POPULLATION CUT OUT THE
MDS n COE'S BRING BACK MATRONS
central gov. needs to live up to it's promises and ensure a fairer society. There are far too many
tax avoidance loopholes and company shenanaigans
Easy to save us council tax payers money by taking actions I have listed above and claim back all
the money wasted on the floating bridge
Everyone should pay council tax, 25% for single occupancy, discounts for pensioners, discounts for
those with disabilities, everyone of working age that could work should pay the same as those
that do.
Have you any idea how much people are struggling , Seriously you want to put even more strain
on low income families ,I see first-hand how hard up families are . Rents have rocketed under
private landlords and some housing is not fit for purpose . You need to start building real
affordable housing ,low income families are in low paid job usually 16 hr contracts or zero hours
,this council has encouraged low priced supermarkets to open,thus providing these low paid low
hours jobs ,fuelling the situation
I am disabled, I have no way of increasing my income to pay for a decrease in support. Where do
you think I am going to find the money to pay for the shortfall? We don't get extra money in our
Income Support to pay for Council Tax, we have to go without. When you reduced support down
to 70% (and CT increased as well) our payments went up 56% from what we had been paying, as
everyone elses CT went up by only 6% that means that those who had been getting the support
were penalised for being disabled, vulnerable and poor. Meanwhile, the council increase the pay
of their councillors, rewarding themselves for the fiasco that is the floating bridge! I am telling
you now, we cannot afford to have any more support removed. If our CT bill goes up by more
than working people because of this, you will end up having to take my disabled son into care
because his parents will be in prison through non-payment. We have NO OPPORTUNITY to
increase our income through work, so any proposal to decrease the support that we get now WILL
BE DEVASTATING! I cannot stress this enough, WE CANNOT AFFORD IT! Why don't you start
chasing those who can afford it, like 2nd home owners, let them pay more for a change!
Sick/disabled/vulnerable people in this country cannot take much more of this punishment, I am
begging you, please don't hurt us anymore.
I 'live' in the work/UC/lcts process each month. UC payment & wages payments cause almost
monthly changes. Staff always helpful. As an original UC trial person. took part time work. Pre UC

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 part time work it could barley afford to live. UC/lcts & working does help. Its exhausting &
constant worry. Reduce pension age and above moving here would help! Alternative holiday
lets/second home/ctax payment options to increase income.
I think a £2 a week deduction for non-dependants isn't very much, and I think this could be
increased. If a non-dependant is at home looking after children, then that family doesn't have to
pay for childcare like working families do. And most of them will probably have access to the 2/3
year funding grants, enabling them to go out and work.
I think those that pay full council tax pay enough and should not be paying anymore to
compensate for those who pay very little. Pensioners should not be protected they should be
means tested -they have far too many benefits as it is.
Increase the council tax for people who can afford a second / holiday home. Any one who can
afford a second / holiday home can afford to contribute a little more to the well being of society.
Keep reducing support for vulnerable adults is not the answer
No
No
no comment
none
None.
People already severely struggle to pay. I have gone without food or paying utility’s numerous
times along with my child in order to pay as is classed as a priority along with others. Increasing or
reducing help will push people over the edge. There is already a growing contempt and movement
against the council seeing wages and services we see. History of uprisings should teach you
something when the poor have had enough.
People are struggling with cuts to services as it is so any further will have a severe detrimental
effect
People who claim Council Tax support are usually those in our society who are least able pay it. To
jiggle money from the least in our society is not the way to go about saving money. I would
suggest looking at the pay structure of those at the very top of the tree and start by reducing
them to a more fair level before you hit the poorest in society. Managers must learn to manage.
Services have been cut but my payment keeps going up. My esa has not increased therefore i am
worse of.
SOME PEOPLE ON THEIOW ,DUE TO ILLNESS CANNOT WORK AND CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY
COUNCIL TAX AND EAT ,KEEP WARM AND PAY OTHER BILLS CONSIDER THEM U HEARTLESS
BASTARDS
NB. Redacted for unsuitable language
Standard rate for non dep deductions. People can have large amounts of income and still pay a
nominal amoun towards council tax. We all use the same services.
Stop paying ridiculous amounts of Council Tax payers money to consultants. Stop paying vast
amounts of CT payers money to Councillors - let them have their meeting at the council offices
and not in the pub or restaurant so they can claim the cost of a meal etc.
Stop raising council tax and support people are struggling more than the council!
The link to the consultation document is not working
The priority must be to protect people with no income to pay council tax. Seriously ill people with
£20 a week universal credit a week (left after paying rent) should not be paying council tax at 20%,
30%, or any amount. Ultimately the enforcement possibilities combined with vulnerable
people's circumstances risk causing breaches of their Article 3 rights, and the council must do…
more to require centralised proper funding for its services from general taxation in addition to
these options.

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 There is a problem if people get less housing support because they may become homeless or
unable to meet other bills and be cold and hungry. So it is more important to prevent this
happening in the first place because it will increase the demands on other services.
This whole questionnaire is worded in a way that makes it clear that you've decided on what to
do, you just want us to agree. Either way, we end up paying more for less, don't we?
Use some of the reserves to reduce the amount of savings required. Reduce overheads like any
other business
You have made this survey complicated and hard to understand and many of the people affected
will not have access or understand much of it.

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