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Changes to support Vale residents on low income given the go ahead

More than 430 people on low income in the Vale of White Horse will receive additional support to help them pay their council tax.
 
At its meeting on Monday 3 February Vale of White Horse District Council’s Cabinet approved three amendments to its Council Tax Reduction scheme which could benefit people of working age who receive a reduction in their council tax payments.

Following a public consultation, Cabinet has now approved the following three changes which will apply from 1 April 2020:

  • The current 91.5 per cent limit and the band E restriction when calculating the council tax bill for single parents with children under age five will be removed.  This will mean that qualifying residents will have their reduction calculated at 100 per cent of their council tax bill after any deductions and based on their property’s actual council tax band.
  • The definition of who is considered disabled and exempt will be widened to mirror Universal Credit provisions.
  • Bereavement Support Payments, which are paid for a maximum of 18 months, will be disregarded as income when calculating an applicant’s council tax reduction amount.

Last year, Vale of White Horse District Council carried out a review of its Council Tax Reduction scheme and then consulted the public to find out what they thought about the three changes it proposed.  Each of the three proposals was supported by the respondents.

Cllr Andrew Crawford, Cabinet Member for Finance at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “It is important that everyone pays their fair share for public services, however it is also important that we have suitable schemes, such as Council Tax Reduction, to support those who genuinely struggle to pay.

“Following a review, we recognised that there were a few elements of our scheme that could be improved, and people supported the changes we put forward.   We’ve now approved these changes, and this will help to ensure that, from 1 April, our scheme will provide greater support for those who need it most.”

ENDS

You can find out more about the Council Tax Reduction Scheme or view the consultation report by visiting whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ctrs.