If senior councillors approve a report at their meeting next week, Wakefield residents with low incomes will continue to receive council tax support. This fund is intended for working-age residents facing the highest cost of living and in the greatest need.
The senior councillors are poised to endorse the continuation of the current Local Council Tax Support Scheme, benefiting approximately 20,000 low-income working-age households in Wakefield who currently receive this assistance.
According to the proposal, eligible residents of working age will receive a discount and will be required to contribute a minimum of 30% towards their council tax starting from April 2024.
Cllr Les Shaw, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “We’re doing what we can to support families across the district with the rising cost of living. If you need help then please get in touch with us and we can provide advice on the support schemes available and whether you might be eligible for them.
“The Council Tax Support Scheme is one of the main ways we do this. We’re proposing to maintain the support at its current level for another year as part of our work to support low-income households in our area.
“The fact we’re able to provide this amount of help is due to the stable financial management we’ve had in our Council. We’ll continually be trying to strike the right balance between providing support to those most in need and making sure we have a sustainable and balanced budget.”
All councils offer a support scheme for council tax, benefiting approximately 30,000 individuals in the district overall. Of these, around 20,000 are employed and the remainder are pensioners. The amount received by pensioners is determined by the central government.
The Local Council Tax Support Scheme has operated successfully since its introduction in 2020. In 2023/24, it is anticipated that the scheme will incur a cost of approximately £25.2 million.
Cabinet members will convene on Tuesday, 7th November at 10:30 am. The meeting can be viewed live or at a later time on the Council’s website.
