Councillors Chris Bartrum and Caroline Utting are collecting signatures on a petition urging Herefordshire Council to think again about the withdrawal of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Councillor Utting told the Ross Gazette, this is an issue which affects other parishes in Herefordshire, it is not just a Ross-on-Wye issue. Councillor Bartrum added: “The full Town Council passed a resolution, with just two abstentions, to campaign against this cut.”

This funding was provided by the Government to compensate Parish Councils for the reduction in their Council Tax base, which resulted from the abolition of the national Council Tax Benefit scheme.

Herefordshire Council passed on this money to Herefordshire Parish Councils for 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16. However, at their meeting on December 3rd, 2015, the Herefordshire County Council Cabinet decided to recommend to the County Council that this grant be taken away entirely for every Parish Council in the County, although a few areas will be phased in. The grant reductions will only be phased in at Bromyard, Kentchurch, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster. Ross and Hereford City are among the rest of the parishes which will lose their money immediately.

The Councillors have also set up an online petition as well as a paper version.