HARD-UP families in Basildon face paying more council tax due to Government cuts to the benefit system.

Basildon Council is proposing increasing the minimum amount each household must pay under its council tax support scheme.

At the moment, families have to pay at least 25 per cent of their total bill, but the council wants to raise the figure in response to a reduction in funding from Westminster.

How much it will rise by will depend on the exact level of Government cuts.

Tory council leader Phil Turner said: “This is the national picture and the rhetoric from the Government is that the welfare state is going to shrink.

“We want to manage the situation as much as possible to help residents.”

Mr Turner ruled out meeting the shortfall in funding by using the council’s reserves or diverting funds from other areas.

He said: “We can be sympathetic, but the message is clear that this is not going to go away and we cannot pick up the bill indefinitely.

“It is about helping people help themselves - sometimes it is a bit like tough love but we are working with the resources we have got.

“If we dipped into the reserves or took money away from other frontline services, that is not sensible.

“My administration has managed to stay away from a slash and burn approach and we are not prepared to irresponsibly manage finances.”

Since 2013, every council has been been responsible for devising its own council tax support scheme, after the previous national benefit system was abolished.

For 2016/17, Basildon Council is also proposing reducing the backdating of support payments from six months to four weeks.

The new scheme must be approved by councillors by January 31 at the latest.

Castle Point Council has estimated it would need to find an extra £1million to keep its current scheme in place for next year.

The authority held a public consultation on potential changes, asking residents if they would be prepared to pay more council tax to meet the funding shortfall.