Council tax reduction scheme consultation

Overview

Currently under Richmond’s Council Tax Reduction scheme, households with a low income can receive a reduction of up to a 100% of their Council Tax liability, but this depends on things like their income, savings and the size of the household. 

In 2016/17, the money we get from the Government to support our services will be substantially reduced so we need to look at how we deal with this gap in funding.  Current estimates are that the Council could lose 50% of its Government Grant funding over the next 4 years.

This means that the Council has to look at ways of dealing with these financial pressures. We have identified several options and our preferred option is to make some changes to the way we calculate Council Tax Reduction to partially cover the loss in Government funding. The consultation document below explains the background, options and proposals for change. The full proposed draft scheme can be viewed at the Draft Council Tax Reduction Scheme link below.

This consultation is about our proposals for changes to the scheme for 2016/17 and we want your views on these to help us make final decisions. We are keen to ensure that all Council Tax payers are aware of the changes we have proposed. The Council recognises that any changes will affect some of its residents and wants to get a full range of views on the proposed changes to our local Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Please give us your views using the online survey below. If you require a paper copy of the consultation please email consultation@richmond.gov.uk or telephone 020 8891 1411.

Please ensure you have read the background document and proposed scheme before you complete the survey.

The consultation closes at midnight on the 8^th January 2016.