The Local Council Tax Support Scheme is a scheme that is operated by the Council which supports low-income households with the cost of their Council Tax. Introduced after the abolition of Council Tax Benefit in 2013, the scheme sets out the rules and principles that guide how discounts will be calculated. The amount of discount received is dependent on income and household circumstances and is applied as a reduction to Council Tax bills.
The current local scheme allows residents to claim up to 100 per cent support towards their Council Tax.
Each year Gloucester City Council must decide whether to change the Council Tax Support Scheme for working age applicants in the area. There are no changes for pension age applicants because they are part of a national scheme set by the Government.
The only changes being proposed for the 2025-26 scheme is that:
- the premiums and allowances used in the calculation of entitlement are uprated in line with the Department for Work and Pensions new figures as of 1 April 2025 and;
- Members of the Armed Forces community receive compensation awarded by the UK Government to support with the ongoing costs of an illness or injury acquired in service. We will ignore military compensation lump sum payments for these individuals when calculating entitlement to council tax support for a 52-week period.
The council is inviting any views, comments, or feedback and this can be done by emailing heretohelp@gloucester.gov.uk by Friday 18 October 2024.