LOW-INCOME parents in the Tendring district have received a huge boost after town hall bosses decided against taxing them more if they receive child maintenance payments.

Tendring Council decided not to take child maintenance payments into account when working out the district’s council tax support scheme.

New council guidelines coming into place this year will mean low-income residents get an 80 per cent discount on their council tax.

Under previous rules, the council would have taken child maintenance payments into account when assessing a family’s income – potentially forcing them to pay more council tax.

But now that cash will be excluded to make sure struggling parents have less to pay.

The decision was made at a full council meeting after a four-week consultation.

Council leader Mick Page said: “The results of the consultation are not conclusive either way.

“But given the relatively low impact on the council’s finances, but potentially high impact for some of the families involved, I believe this is the right thing to do for the residents of Tendring."

The council’s ruling Conservatives initially launched tax plans that would have included child maintenance in the calculation of bills.

Labour opponents argued to amend the tax support scheme and were successful after receiving support from some Tories.

Labour group leader Ivan Henderson said: “There are only a handful of hardline councils who still use child maintenance in this inappropriate way and I am very pleased Labour has persuaded Tendring Council that it should no longer be one of them.”

Mr Henderson said it was an “important victory for vulnerable families” across the district.

It will cost the council £4,000 a year to exclude child maintenance from its tax calculations.