Have your say on council tax scheme

The deadline for a consultation on changes to North Kesteven’s council tax support scheme is Monday, November 18.

This scheme offers support to local people who struggling to meet all of the demands on their household budgets and the district council wants to make changes, so it is as easy and efficient as possible to help these residents.

Council Tax Support is awarded to approximately 2,700 pensioner households and 2,700 working age households in North Kesteven. This equates to just under 10% of the total number of households in the district.

The public’s views are on whether to continue offering the scheme in its current format or to move to a ‘banded’ scheme which may provide easier administration for both residents and the council. The consultation is open to anyone, whether or not they are in receipt of support from the scheme, but only working age households will be affected by the proposed changes, not pensioners.

Cllr Mary Green, Executive Board Member for Finance, Governance & Democracy, said: “Currently, every time someone’s income changes – which can happen quite often for people claiming Universal Credit – a new council tax bill is generated, and payments changed, which causes more admin and inconvenience for them. We’re proposing an option to change the system so that income is put into bands, meaning that these changes are only made when crossing between bands. 

“This will cut down on paperwork and help us to provide an efficient and cost-effective service. For residents, there would be less confusion and less chance of there being an unexpected bill to pay. However, it could mean that there might be changes to the amount of support received by certain households – plus or minus. That’s why we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have their say.”

Further information and a link to the survey see  https://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/benefits-support/council-tax-support-scheme.