Council Tax Support Fund 2023-24
Recognising the impact of rising bills, the government is distributing £100 million of new grant funding in 2023-24 for local authorities to support economically vulnerable households in their area with Council Tax bills.
The council will use most of their funding allocations to reduce Council tax bills for current working age and pension age Council tax support (CTS) claimants by up to £25. The maximum amount received will be £25, however if your Council Tax bill is less than £25 you will only receive the amount outstanding on your bill.
If you were in receipt of Council tax support (CTS) on 24th February 2023, the reduction will be automatically applied to your Council tax bill for 2023-24. More information about this support can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Discretionary Fund
After payment of the initial fund detailed above, the council has been instructed to set up a discretionary fund with any remaining funding.
Below we have detailed how you can benefit from this discretionary fund.
- If you became entitled to Council tax support (CTS) for 2023/24 financial year after the 24th February 2023, while funding remains, we will be automatically apply up to £25 to your Council tax bill for 2023-24. You do not need to apply for this, we will credit the amount automatically.
- If you are not entitled to Council Tax Support or need additional help to pay your council tax bill above what has already provided and, you are experiencing financial hardship. You can apply for a discretionary payment for help with your council tax bill. Applications are decided on a case-by-case basis, you can make an application below.
The maximum amount you will receive is £25, if your bill is for less than this you will only receive the amount outstanding on your bill. For example if your council tax bill for 2023/24 after any council tax support/discounts have been applied is £150.00 you will receive £25. However, if you bill after council tax support/discounts is £15.00, you will only receive £15.
This will be because at the time creating your bill you were not entitled to council tax support on 1st April 2023. During April 2023 we will issue up to £25 using the discretionary scheme for anyone that has become entitled to Council Tax Support after 1st April 2023. This will be done automatically, we aim to complete this by 30th April 2023.
This will be because when your annual council tax bill was issued, you were entitled to council tax support on 1st April 2023. However, your circumstances have now changed and you are no longer entitled to council tax support on 1st April 2023. As you are no longer entitled to council tax support on 1st April 2023, you do not meet the criteria for the up to £25 payment.
