Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Cabinet Office – in the Senedd at 1:53 pm on 17 April 2024.
Hefin David
Labour
1:53,
17 April 2024
It's recognised that the review of council tax is long overdue and necessary, and many people who have written to me have recognised that, but a few constituents have written to raise concerns as well. One concern I've had raised is the unintended consequence these reforms could have on those living in properties that have increased significantly in value due to house price inflation but the people living in them are on fixed incomes such as pensions—in other words, those who are asset rich but cash poor, and could even be living in Fuel Poverty due to increases in energy prices over the last two years. Specifically, those issues have been raised. A constituent has also made a suggestion that council tax reform could include an upper limit on the percentage of household income that is paid in council tax, whatever band that home might be in. The constituent who has written to me would like to know whether you would consider that as part of your consideration of consultation responses, and also in any bid that you do make in the future to make council tax fairer.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
A household is said to be in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given their income.
