Council consults on changes to Council Tax support
7 August 2012
Local people are being urged to have their say on planned changes to Council Tax Benefit.
The government has decided that Council Tax Benefit will cease to exist on 1 April 2013. It will be replaced by local schemes designed by councils, which will provide help for claimants of working age and will be known as Council Tax Support, or CTS for short.
Pensioners will be fully protected and will be no worse off than under the current system.
On 23 July, London Borough of Bexley published its proposed Council Tax Support scheme for public consultation. It is proposing a scheme that will mean that all claimants would pay a fixed percentage of their Council Tax and be eligible for Council Tax Support on the remainder. Under the scheme, the period for which benefits could be backdated would also reduce - from 6 months to 1 month. The Council is also considering having a hardship fund for those faced with exceptional needs or circumstances.
One option is that the reduction in the percentage amount of Council Tax on which CTS is assessed would be phased in to help reduce the impact on residents.
The public consultation will be widely publicised and will run until 28 September.
A survey about the proposals will be sent to a sample of those currently in receipt of Council Tax Benefit and a sample of Council Tax payers. It will also be available in libraries and Council offices.
Council officers will also be meeting a range of local organisations to hear their views on the proposals.
The new scheme must be up and running by 1 April 2013. Further information is available on the Council's website at www.bexley.gov.uk/counciltaxsupport or at local libraries and Council offices. The website includes a link to an online version of the survey.
Free access to the internet is available at all Bexley libraries.
