Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2022/23

Overview

We are consulting on changes to the Council Tax Reduction scheme that will reduce Council Tax for working age claimants.

Background  

As part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the Council Tax Benefit Scheme set by the Department for Work and Pensions was abolished and replaced with a locally set Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS).

The scheme set by the Council in 2013 included a provision that applicable allowances for working age households would initially be set at the 2013 level and not raised on an annual basis.

The Council is proposing to amend the CTR scheme so that the applicable amounts for all working-age households are brought in line with the current levels.

Who will be affected

The change will only affect working-age households who are not defined as vulnerable and who are not in receipt of Universal Credit.

You can read the definition of a vulnerable household by clicking here.

Who will not be affected

Pensioners will not be affected as their applicable amount is determined by the government annually.

Households in receipt of Universal Credit will not be affected as their applicable amount is calculated based on their UC Allowance.

Working-age households defined as ‘vulnerable’ will not be affected as their applicable amount is uprated annually in line with Department for Work and Pensions figures.

What are we proposing?

If accepted the change would be implemented from April 2022, using the figures issued by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The change would increase the amount of Council Tax Reduction a working-age household would receive, meaning they would pay less Council Tax.

You can read the Equalities Impact Needs Analysis here to give you more information about how the changes are expected to affect people.

How much will the scheme change cost the Council?

If the proposal is accepted the estimated annual Council Tax Reduction increase (forecasted on current case load) would be £34,818  

Have your say

This consultation is about our proposals for changes to the scheme for 2022/23 and we want your views on these to help us make final decisions.

Please ensure you have read all the information on this page before you complete the survey.

You can access the online survey below, but if you would like a paper copy or a different format, please contact us at ctrconsultation@richmond.gov.uk or on 020 8891 1411.

What happens next

We will publish the feedback from this consultation and the decision we have taken on this page in February 2022.