Providing Support for Council Tax in Wales

This consultation seeks views on proposals for introducing new schemes in Wales to provide support for council tax once the current Council Tax Benefit system is abolished by the UK Government on 31 March 2013.

Start of consultation: 06/02/2012

End of consultation: 05/04/2012

In the Spending Review 2010, the UK Government announced that it would localise support for council tax from 2013-14 and reduce expenditure by 10 per cent.

From 31 March 2013 council tax benefit in its current form will come to an end and the provision of support for council tax and the funding associated with it, will be devolved to local authorities in England, to the Scottish Government and to the Welsh Government.

Therefore the Welsh Government must work in conjunction with local government to design and implement a new scheme in sufficient time to provide council tax support for those on low incomes or in vulnerable groups by 1^st April 2013.

This consultation sets out the policy, financial and operational considerations related to providing support for council tax in Wales and expectations about how any new scheme could operate.

The document asks for the views of local authorities, advisory groups, representative bodies, the third sector and others who may be affected by these changes, to help the Welsh Government decide on the policy and delivery options for introducing a new scheme to provide council tax support in Wales.

Your views are welcomed on all aspects of the proposed approach set out in the document, in addition to the specific questions asked.

If you are not currently entitled to council tax benefit, then nothing will change for you. If you do receive council tax benefit, there may be changes which will affect you from April 2013:

• Some changes could affect how you claim support with your council tax bill;
• Some changes could affect how much support you can claim, or whether you receive any support at all, and therefore how much council tax you are expected to pay.

This document is not about how much council tax you should pay.  It is about how a new system should be designed and operated to help those who need support to meet their council tax bill.

How to respond

Please submit your comments by 05 April 2012 in any of the following ways:

Email:

LGF1Consultations@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Post:

Joanna Valentine
Local Government Finance and Public Services Performance Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about. It may also be seen by other Welsh Government staff to help them plan future consultations.

The Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. This helps to show that the consultation was carried out properly. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response.