A complete overhaul in Council Tax support means Redditch Borough Council will become one of only 40 councils in the country to offer up to 100% support for working age residents.

 The current support scheme will be moving to a new grid scheme from 1^st April, which means residents in need of extra help will be able to claim up to 100% of their Council Tax.

Currently, residents struggling to pay their council tax can claim up to 80% of their bill but must still find the remaining 20%, which for some can be difficult. The new scheme means that residents in need will be able to claim the full amount of their council tax.

Portfolio Holder for Finance and Enabling, Cllr David Thain, said: “The original scheme was not cost-effective, and more money was spent through legal proceedings and officer time trying to recover debts, than we would have received from the Council Tax. We are proud to be one of only a few councils to deliver this for our residents. This support is there for anyone who needs it, whether you’ve required help from us before or not. So, if your circumstances have changed, please come forward and check if you’re eligible.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “After the past 12 months living through the pandemic, we’ve seen so many more people needing a little extra help due to job losses or furlough, so this scheme will make a big difference to the lives of some of our most financially vulnerable or struggling residents.”

The new scheme provides support from the day it is needed, to help residents avoid crisis situations, and criteria changes mean that more residents may now be eligible for this sort of help.

Each year, across the country, over £16 billion of welfare benefits is unclaimed by people who are eligible for it. There are many reasons for this, including understanding how welfare works, those on Universal Credit not realising they may also be eligible for council tax support and the stigma around claiming benefits, even if only for a short period of time.

For more information about the new scheme or how it works go to our page here, email hbenefits@redditchbc.gov.uk or call us on 01527 534050.