Proposed changes to Council Tax Reduction Scheme from 1 April 2024

There are almost 1100 people in Sefton who are in low paid work who also claiming Universal Credit to top up their wages.

Working customers on Universal Credit often receive different amounts every month.

We have to look at every bit of information we receive.

This creates a lot of work for the council.

Customers often wait a long time for their claim to be processed and to find out how much Council Tax they need to pay.

This can cause customers to fall behind with their bills.

We want to make the rules easier to understand.

We want to ignore some of the information the Department of Works and Pensions tell us about small changes in a customer’s Universal Credit.

Examples of when we will recalculate?

• You stop working.
• Your Universal Credit payments stop.
• You change jobs or get a second job.
• You move, or someone joins or leaves your house.

Examples of when we will ignore.

• You work a few extra hours one month.
• You get a back-dated pay rise.

We think this will

• Make it easier for low-income people pay their bills.
• Reduce confusion for customers.
• Save the council money.