London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council Tax Support Scheme Consultation

Overview

Currently, Council Tax Benefit is a national scheme paid for by central Government but administered by councils. The Government is cutting the amount of money available and asking councils to run local schemes. Richmond expects to lose £1.0m in government grant. The Council is aiming to recover most of this loss through changes to other Council Tax discounts and exemptions but some existing benefits claimants will be affected. The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is keen to ensure that all Council Tax payers are aware of the changes proposed by Government. The Council recognises that any changes will affect some of its residents and wants to get a full range of views on its proposed local Council Tax Benefit Scheme. We will be seeking the views of:

- Existing Council Tax Benefit claimants

- Advocacy/welfare groups

- Council Tax payers

- Partner organisations which may be affected indirectly such as Richmond Housing Partnership

Given the wide range of residents and groups that we want to consult a number of consultation methods will be used:

- Postal survey

- Online survey

- Meetings with advocacy groups and partner organisations

If you have a general enquiry about Council Tax benefits, or require a paper copy of the survey, please contact the Contact Centre.