In exceptional circumstances, we can provide a short term discretionary reduction in Council Tax liability to alleviate hardship. This is provided under Section 13a (1)(c) of the Local Government Finance act 1992.
Section 13a reductions are for short term periods only and therefore should not be considered as a long term fix for financial hardship.
Applications can be considered under;
- Financial Hardship
- Major incident
- Other exceptional circumstances
The application can only relate to the Council Tax for the financial year that the application is made within.
Before applying for this support you must ensure that you have taken all reasonable steps to resolve your own financial situation.
You can also use our benefit calculator to see if you are potentially eligible for further financial assistance.
We will not make any awards where a resident is in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, you may need to consider applying for an Exceptional Hardship Payment (EHP) which is set up to support residents who are in receipt of Council Tax Reduction.
In order to be considered for this scheme, you must agree to;
- Make an application for assistance using our online portal;
- Provide full details of your income and expenditure;
- Accept assistance from either the Council or third parties such as the CAB or similar organisations, to enable you to manage your finances more effectively, including removal of non-essential expenditure;
- Accept potential changes in payment methods and arrangements;
- Assist the Council to minimise liability, by ensuring that all discounts, exemptions and reductions are properly granted;
- Maximise your income through applying for other welfare benefits, cancellation of non-essential contracts and outgoings and
- Identifying the most economical tariffs for the supply of utilities and services generally.
We will not make any awards where;
- Full Council Tax liability is being met by Council Tax Reduction;
- For any reason other than to reduce Council Tax liability;
- Where the Council considers that there are unnecessary expenses or debts and that the applicant has not taken reasonable steps to reduce these;
- To offset any overpayment of Council Tax Reduction caused by the failure of the applicant to notify changes in circumstances in a timely manner or where the applicant has failed to act correctly or honestly; or
- To cover previous years Council Tax arrears.
Discretionary reduction in Council Tax under the Terminally Ill Policy (Section 13a)
From the 1st April 2026, under Section 13a (1)(c) of the Local Government Finance act, Wealden District Council is executing their discretionary powers to offer a reduction in Council Tax liability in narrowly defined circumstances related to households affected by a terminal illness and financial hardship at the end of life.
In order to qualify for this reduction;
- a valid/certified Special Rules 1 form must be provided in respect of the liable person, their partner, or a dependant who is ordinarily resident in the dwelling.
- Council Tax Reduction has been awarded under the Council’s scheme but does not cover 100% of the liability.
- The application relates to the current financial year.
How to apply
Applications can be made through the Wealden grant approval portal, if you have not registered with the portal before, you will need to do so.
To make an application for an EHP enter the Quick Code 658BPU and this will take you directly to the scheme.
To make an application for a Section 13a (1)(c) enter the Quick Code 658B4T and this will take you directly to the scheme.
To make an application for a Section 13a (1)(c) under the Terminally Illness policy, enter the Quick Code 658B7W and this will take you directly to this application.