Have your say on proposed changes to council tax support scheme
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) is asking people to have their say on proposed changes to a support scheme which helps working-age households with their council tax bills.
Local authorities have managed local council tax support schemes for working-age households since the abolition of council tax benefit in 2013. Pension-age households are protected by a national scheme.
Until now, in Test Valley, this broadly mirrored the complex rules of the old council tax benefit.
The proposed scheme is designed using income bands so residents would be able to easily see what support they are eligible for based on their household make up and net weekly earned income.
The proposed scheme retains the current protection of 100% council tax support for households in receipt of certain disability benefits and no earned income. All other households could receive up to 90% of their council tax liability through support.
Where possible, the proposed scheme mirrors the rules used by Universal Credit.
Under the new proposals, the scheme will become much easier for residents to understand alongside the continued roll out of Universal Credit. Whilst we estimate that the majority of households will receive the same or more support under the proposed scheme, a small number will receive less support. The proposed scheme, therefore, includes a discretionary hardship fund to mitigate against that.
For a breakdown of the changes, and to fill out the survey, please visit www.testvalley.gov.uk/ctsconsultation. The survey closes on 27 October 2024.
The proposed scheme has been designed with support from a cross-party group of councillors and has been endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet.
Councillor Maureen Flood, portfolio holder for Finance and Resources, said: “It’s so important that people in Test Valley are having their say on these proposed changes, as we need to make sure that all our decisions have our residents at the forefront. The proposed new scheme is much clearer for our residents. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions in the consultation as your voice is needed.”