Each year Wirral Council must decide whether to change the Council Tax Reduction scheme for working age applicants in its area. There are no changes for Pension Age applicants as they are part of the national scheme. This year the Council is deciding whether to significantly change the working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
Across the Council's area, currently around 28,890 Council Tax payers receive Council Tax Reduction of which 17,745 are of working age. The gross cost of the scheme is spread across the Borough Council (83.42%), the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside (11.71%), the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Authority (4.03%), the Liverpool City Region Mayor (0.84%) in accordance with the proportion of Council Tax which each organisation levies (which is shown in brackets). Currently, the total cost of the scheme is around £34.45m, with around £20,65m supporting working age households. The proposed scheme costs are estimated at £31.63m.
We are legally required to consult on any proposed changes to the scheme and we’re asking you to take part in this consultation to find out what you think about our proposed Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which would start from 1 April 2025. We want to:
- continue to support the lowest income households;
- make the scheme easier to understand and access;
- make the scheme work better with the Universal Credit system;
- support families and applicants who receive a disability benefit;
- take away the need for constant changes in awards; and
- make the scheme easier to manage.
Thank you for taking the time to share your views. It should take around 10 minutes to fill in this consultation.