As I highlighted back on 10th January, the Lib Dems in Birmingham have been campaigning against Labour’s decision to impose a 20% Council Tax charge on those in receipt of working age means tested benefits.

Finally the Council has seen sense and is going to accept the £2.1m on offer from the Government to reduce the amount of Council Tax paid by the poorest in our City. This isn’t a total victory; we argued that there should be no charge at all for the poorest working age claimants in our alternative budget, however it is a very welcome change, which will reduce their liability from 20% to 8.5%.

The Council’s delay in accepting the money is a major cause of shame for the Labour Party in Birmingham. It means thousands of those dependent on benefits will have paid too much tax from the start of the current financial year. This no doubt caused hardship for many and will now involve the Council in costly extra administration to put things right.

John Hemming worked hard to keep the offer of the £2.1m from the Government on the table. Today many of the poorest across Yardley and the rest of Birmingham will benefit from his hard work. Meanwhile the campaign goes on and John is now calling on the Government to continue the funding into further years.