Each year Tameside Council must decide whether to change the Council Tax Support 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 Support Scheme.
Across the Council's area, currently around 17,059 Council Tax payers receive Council Tax Support of which 10,056 are of working age. The gross cost of the scheme is spread across Tameside Council (83.15%), the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner (11.70%) and the Mayoral General Precept (including Fire & Rescue Service) (5.15%) 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 £16.6m, with around £8.6m supporting working age households. The proposed scheme costs are estimated at £16.6m.
The Council is 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 the proposed Council Tax Support Scheme, which would start from 1 April 2025. We want to:
- make the scheme easier to understand and access;
- provide the same level of support for households on the lowest incomes;
- 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.
The Council's privacy notices can be viewed by clicking the following link (this will open in a separate window):
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Data Protection Privacy Notice - Tameside MBC