Changes to YOUR Council Tax benefit

PEOPLE across Yeovil and South Somerset have been told about important changes to the way benefit is handed out to help them pay their Council Tax.

The Government has changed the way in which financial help is given to residents to pay Council Tax. The current national Council Tax Benefit scheme will be replaced on April 1 with a local Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which will help with the costs of council tax for those with low incomes.

At the same time Government has cut the funding it was providing to councils to finance the previous scheme by 10%. Final details of the funding South Somerset District Council will receive were confirmed in December.
 
Following a public consultation process carried out last summer in South Somerset, a framework for a new scheme was designed. Council members decided on the new local Council Tax Reduction Scheme at a meeting last month.

There are a number of key differences between this new scheme, which only applies to working age customers, and the current Council Tax Benefit scheme. The differences are as follows:

Support will be limited to a maximum of 85% of the Council Tax charge (after any discounts are applied).

Non-dependant deductions will increase.

A new non-dependant deduction has been introduced.

The amount of money someone can earn before it affects their support increases by 50%.

Second Adult Rebate is abolished.

Maintenance is taken into account in the means test calculation.

A new hardship scheme is created for those who get less support through the scheme and have exceptional financial circumstances.

But the council has stressed that pensioners are protected from these changes.
 
The Council will initially be writing to everyone affected to tell them about the changes. Bills showing details of how much support individuals will receive, and how much Council Tax they need to pay will be sent in the middle of March 2013.
 
More details about the new Council Tax Reduction Scheme are available on the Council’s website www.southsomerset.gov.uk
 
Cllr Tim Carroll, vice-chairman of the Executive at South Somerset District Council, said: “With significantly less money coming to South Somerset District Council from Government, it has been a real challenge to balance the needs of all South Somerset residents when setting the new Reduction Scheme rules.

''The public consultation responses and other evidence have assisted us to develop a scheme to meet that challenge and end up with the fairest scheme possible.”

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