Council tax benefit claimants in Warwick district may no longer be exempt from paying council tax from next year.
Government changes mean that local authorities must introduce their own council tax support scheme from January, while funding from the Government is set to be cut by at least ten per cent.
Although consultations with Warwickshire County Council, the county’s police authority and residents are still to take place, members of the district council’s executive last week approved proposals to officials’ suggestions for changes to its current scheme.
These include lowering the cut-off level of savings people have to qualify them to apply for council tax support from below £16,000 to below £10,000 and to lower the level of savings that are disregarded in assessments from £6,000 to £3,000.
Proposals also suggest that child benefit a person is claiming for their first child should be ignored when calculations are being made with regards to council tax support.
Warwick (and Birmingham) council have at least started to discuss this whereas there has so far been a deafening silence from Coventry city council which is equally affected by the changes.
Contrary to popular belief not all pensioners are exempt from the changes either. From October of next year the rules which govern whether a couple qualify as being of "pensionable age" are also being changed. In future, if either partner is below pensionable age then neither will qualify.
