Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2023/24 consultation

Status: Closed

The Council is consulting on changes to the existing Council Tax Reduction scheme for working age people from 1st April 2023.

The Council has to decide whether to keep the same scheme as now, or whether to make changes to improve the overall level of support to low income and vulnerable working age applicants.

Results reports:

• Council Tax discounts changes

Key findings and changes made:

From April 1^st 2023, all empty and unfurnished properties will no longer receive a 100 per cent discount to their council tax charge for a period of one month. Residents who are currently in receipt of this discount will not receive it from 31 of March 2023 – regardless of when the discount was applied. Council tax will be charged at the full rate for any empty and unfurnished periods.

There will no longer be a 50 per cent reduction in council tax liability for properties that are undergoing renovations that render them uninhabitable. Residents who are currently in receipt of this discount, will end 31 of March 2023, regardless of when the discount was applied. Council tax will be charged at the full rate for any period the property is unoccupied.

Long Term Empty Premiums

Properties that have been empty for between 2 to 5 years will be subject to a 100% premium on top of the council tax charge. This will affect dwellings which are unoccupied and substantially unfurnished.

For properties that remain empty between 5 and 10 years the premium will rise to 200 per cent, with a 300 per cent premium being applied to any property that has been empty for 10 years or more.

Topics covered by this consultation:

Benefits & Local Taxation

Consultation Start Date: 13/10/2022

Consultation End Date: 27/11/2022

Results expected by: 16/12/2022

Please note: these dates are subject to change.

Areas covered by this consultation:

Wealden District (All)

Target audience for this consultation:

Wealden Residents

Frequency of this consultation: One-off

Methods of consultation used:

Online Survey (All Public)

What Happens Next?

We will listen carefully to what residents tell us and take the consultation responses into consideration alongside other evidence and information when making the final decision on the 2023/24 Council Tax Reduction scheme.

Following the decision, the full results from the consultation will be available on the Council’s website.

The new scheme will start on 1 April 2023. The Council will consider the impact of the scheme annually and consult again if it thinks further changes need to be made.