Somerset residents are encouraged to have their say on possible changes to a scheme which offers financial support to working age adults on low incomes.
In November 2023, Somerset Council declared a financial emergency due to increasing costs of providing key services and agreed to a number of actions to reduce spending.
This included a commitment to consult with the public on potential changes to the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme.
Council Tax Reduction is a discount offered for Council Tax payers on low incomes. The proposed changes would only apply to working age adults – the support provided for pensioners would not be affected.
It was initially proposed to consult on changes that could save the council £12.1m a year. However, following debate at Executive last week, it was agreed to remove two proposals from the consultation. If all the revised proposals were to be approved it could potentially save Somerset Council £6.4m a year.
The options for consideration include reducing the maximum available discount from 100% to 75%.
Cllr Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, said:
We fully recognise and appreciate the value of Council Tax Reduction to those on low incomes – in fact one of our first decisions as a unitary council was to harmonise this support for everyone across the county.
However, the national model of funding local government is broken. The costs of providing key demand-led services have risen sharply and we have limited ways to raise income.
Without national intervention, this means we have no choice but to consider all available options to reduce spending. But we will not do this lightly and it’s really important that people understand the changes being proposed and have their say so we can consider every impact before any decisions are made.”
You can find out more about the proposals and take part in the consultation at https://somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/comms/ctr. It opens today and will run until 1 October, with any decisions taking place later in the year and any changes coming into effect from 1 April 2025.
Paper copies will also be available in libraries and letters will be sent by post to all those who currently receive CTR support.
