This morning’s Western Mail reports that a flagship Assembly scheme to give serving Army personnel a 50% discount on their Council tax has flopped after only 15 families applied for the rebate in Wales.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson, Peter Black has produced a report which shows that a few local authorities have taken some extra steps to promote the discount, for example by briefing staff so that they may offer it to relevant households, and some have included details in their newspapers or leaflets. However a number are relying on Welsh Government and Ministry of Defence publicity, which appears to be minimal.
If Armed Forces Personnel and their families do not know that this discount exists, then they cannot ask for it and benefit from it. He concludes that there needs to be better and more effective promotion of this benefit by both the Welsh Government and local authorities.
Peter Black commented: “This commitment to our troops was an important one but we are failing to let them know that it is available. The Welsh Government spent time changing the regulations but have failed to promote the benefit. Nor have Councils picked up the baton.
“The Welsh Assembly Government needs to work with local authorities and the Ministry of Defence to promote this Council Tax entitlement to all armed service personnel. As a nation we pride ourselves on the support we provide our armed forces personnel, so let’s make sure this support is practical, not just on paper.”
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More contradictions from Welsh Liberal Democrats. We now have calls for better promotional PR measures which follow earlier criticisms about the use of specialist firms. Peter Black spent enough time in power to know that the breath & complexity of Welsh Assembly Government is beyond the scope of generic communications.