RESIDENTS who are on the council tax reduction scheme (CTRS) will see less support from Windsor and Maidenhead council – a move that one councillor says will hit the “most vulnerable and lowest income residents."

Tory councillors were criticised by opposing members as they approved to decrease the council’s contribution on the scheme, which supports people on a low income to pay their council tax by reducing it to a certain level depending on their weekly income and household size, from 91.5 per cent to 80 per cent.

This means the 2,651 working age CTRS customers will pay 20 per cent of their council tax instead of last year’s 8.5 per cent.

The council claims this will accumulate savings of £330,000 per year and will bring the Royal Borough in line with neighbouring authorities such as Slough and Bracknell Forest councils.

A public consultation was held, which ended on February 7, where 97 out of 141 respondents stated they were against the proposed increase.

Opposition councillors panned the Conservatives for rushing the consultation, giving members a short time to scrutinise as the results were not available at the corporate overview and scrutiny panel on February 4.

They also claimed the council did not consult people on the scheme properly.

READ MORE: Council tax hike agreed for Windsor and Maidenhead residents

Liberal Democrat councillor, Joshua Reynolds (Furze Platt), said: “Almost 70 per cent of respondents from the consultation did not support the changes, yet this administration is proposing to steam roll ahead.

“Ignoring the residents and heading into something that will hit our most vulnerable and lowest income residents.

“For our most vulnerable residents and those who are on the lowest incomes often struggling with the costs of living, a little bit more might be that little bit too much.”

Defending the scheme, councillor David Hilton (Conservative: Ascot and Sunninghill), lead member for finance, said: “There is a safety net around this particular service and this council binds that safety net.

“The advantage the people of Windsor and Maidenhead have is that their council tax is significantly lower than all the other local authorities.

“Even with this scheme, they will pay less than their counterparts.”

The motion was carried with 23 for and 17 against where it will come into effect April 1, 2020.