Key Changes to Council Tax Support in 2016/17
Commissioned by: Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Published 5th Apr 2016
- Category: Council Tax
April 2016 marks the beginning of the fourth year since Council Tax Benefit (CTB), a national system of support for council tax bills, was localised and replaced by Council Tax Support (CTS). Since April 2013, councils have had the freedom to devise their own schemes for working-age residents, but full protection for pensioners is required across all schemes. Councils initially received a funding cut of 10% in the move from CTB to CTS, while the funding for CTS is now part of a larger pot of central government funding that is reducing each year.
This document summarises the key findings from our analysis of the schemes across the 326 English unitary and lower tier local authorities for 2016/17 and the impact of those schemes on claimants, as well as how things have changed over the first four years of local CTS.
About this report
This report was funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and written by Theo Barry Born of the New Policy Institute. The facts presented and views expressed in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation