Council Tax Support Scheme consultation now open

We’re asking for the views of our residents on proposed changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme from 1 April 2025.

Council Tax Support is a reduction in the amount of Council Tax that working-age people on low income need to pay. In the context of the difficult financial challenges the Council is facing, the proposal for next year’s Council Tax Support scheme aims to balance introducing an affordable scheme for the Council, with targeting support to those that need it most. 

Currently the scheme is means-tested, and eligible residents can get up to 85% off their Council Tax bill, depending on: their income; household composition; and their level of capital.

In April 2023, we introduced temporary changes to the Council Tax Support scheme to give extra support to residents, offsetting the worst effects of the cost-of-living crisis. Continuing this level of extra support within the scheme would cost £20.6m next year, £3.5m more than in 2022/23, before the additional support was introduced. This extra cost is no longer financially viable in the current climate, so we’re asking residents for their views on proposals for a new scheme which, if introduced, would keep the cost of the scheme to what we believe is an affordable level to the Council.

The proposals would introduce an income-banded scheme which, depending on a person’s level of income, household composition and level of capital, provides support of up to 85% for working-age residents who fall into defined financially vulnerable groups. For other eligible working-age residents, support would be given up to a maximum of 57%, also depending on their level of income, household composition and level of capital. The proposals do not affect the Council Tax Support scheme for pensioners, which is set nationally by central Government.

Households classified as being financially vulnerable for the purpose of the proposed scheme are those whose income places them in Band 1, and:

• the household includes a child aged 5 or under; and/or
• the person claiming and/or that person’s partner has been assessed as being incapable of work or having a limited capability for work.

The consultation is open to all residents and should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. People who receive Council Tax Support will be contacted directly about the consultation and paper copies are available on request.

The consultation will run from Friday 18 October to Sunday 24 November.