Local authorities will be forced to make real-term savings higher than the 10% suggested by ministers when managing localised council tax benefit (CTB) schemes, a workshop on the impact of benefit changes was told.

Allen Graham, chief executive at Rushcliffe BC, who is the lead on benefit changes for the District Councils Network, and also for the LGA, warned the timetable for localisation of CTB from next year was more ambitious than the transition from the poll tax.