If your an OAP there is no change, helping to keep the Tory Vote
If your on a low income you are a loser.
If your disabled on benefits yours a loser, ie: the bedroom tax.
Unemployed lose.
Rutland County Council chose not to absorb the governments cut in funding.
The Council still has nearly nine million pounds in reserves.
http://counciltaxsupport.org/the-story-so-far/
As of 31/01/2013 all 326 lower tier and unitary local authorities have decided on their new council tax support schemes for 2013/14. A breakdown of 235 local schemes are featured on this site. The site will be updated further in the next few days as councils publicise details of the new schemes.
The downloadable spreadsheet below provides information on 235 new local council tax support schemes. The spreadsheet lists how each scheme differs to CTB. An explanation of each of the possible measures is available here.
View/download the spreadsheet here.
View/download the pdf here.
National overview
The graph below summarises the components
of 235 proposed final CTS schemes. Some councils will be introducing
more than one new measure (for example reducing the second adult rebate
and introducing a band cap), so councils can be counted more than once.
Date updated: 31/01/2013. Councils featured: 235/326.
Key points
- Of the 235 new schemes featured, 80% of councils will be reducing the level of support for council tax benefit recipients.
- 20% will be making no change, thus absorbing the entire funding cut into their council budget.
- Over two thirds (69%) of councils that have decided on their local Council Tax support schemes for 2013/14 will introduce a minimum payment. A minimum payment could be in the form of a maximum cap on the amount of Council Tax support available to households (eg. capping the amount available at 80% available so that all working age adults pay at least 20% of their council tax) or a uniform reduction in support (eg. £5 per week).
- Within this, approximately 50% of councils have opted for a minimum payment of 8.5%: this means that all working-age people will have to pay at least 8.5% of their council tax liability regardless of income. Around 35% have opted for a minimum payment of10-20%, and the remainder for a minimum payment of above 20%.
- The reduction or removal of the second adult rebate (the benefit homeowners not on a low income are entitled to if they share their home with someone on a low income) is also a popular component of the new schemes (53% of featured councils).
- In general, councils that are removing the rebate are doing so together with the introduction of a minimum payment.
- 32% of featured councils intend to introduce a discretionary fund for persons experiencing exceptional hardship.
- 18% intend to introduce a band cap which involves limiting the amount of benefit received in higher value properties to the amount provided to those in lower value properties (most that are applying the cap at the entitlement of band D properties).
- The maximum savings limit (the savings limit over which one is no longer eligible for council tax benefit ) is being reduced by about 20% of councils, with most reducing the threshold to £6,000 from £16,000.
- 22% will be changing non-dependent deductions (the benefit low income homeowners are entitled to if they share their home with someone not on a low income). While a few councils are removing non-dependent deductions altogether, almost all councils are increasing the deductions.
- 18% are changing the rules relating to back-dating
- 13% of councils will introduce a minimum CTS payment to residents (eg. £5 per week: claimants will only receive benefit payments of £5 and above).10% are counting other benefits as income (Child Maintenance seems to be the most common benefit to be counted as income).
- 6% of councils will change the income taper.
