Waverley Borough Council will decide whether to move forward with a voluntary council tax initiative at a meeting of its executive this week (3 September).
The initiative could generate “hundreds of thousands of pounds” in additional income to be used for local discretionary services, a report detailing the specifics of the scheme stated.
The additional income would be necessary for Waverley to meet its ‘strategic priorities’.
In February, the council resolved to explore the creation of a voluntary contribution scheme for council tax Band H residents.
This would be based on a scheme introduced by Westminster City Council in 2018, the report added, with Waverley having already engaged with officers at Westminster “to find out how their scheme was set up and how it works”.
That means Waverley would have to set up a charity to receive the donations and administer the scheme, if it goes ahead with the proposal. The charity can enter a governance arrangement with the local authority to operationally administer the scheme on its behalf.
Waverley would also have to consult all residents currently living in Band H properties to gauge and register their support for a potential scheme, the report said.
If a decision is made to proceed, the scheme could be operational by the end of 2024, according to the council’s suggested timeline.
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