Pensioner households on a low income could get £800 knocked off their annual Council Tax bill. Many people may be missing out on “valuable extra pounds”, a charity director has warned, as new UK Government figures showed a drop in the number of pensioners claiming Council Tax support. The number of older people who received support with their monthly bill fell by 1.
2 per cent across England between summer 2023 and 2024. However, it’s not just pensioners south of the border who could benefit from a Council Tax discount. The latest figures from the Scottish Government show at the end of March this year, some 461,550 people were receiving a Council Tax Reduction (CTR) of around £800 on their annual bill.
The data indicates one-in-five households are being supported through the scheme, which is not available anywhere else in the UK. It is crucial people over State Pension age who will now miss out on this year’s Winter Fuel Payments of up to £300 make sure they are not missing out on help with their Council Tax. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK director, described UK Government support as “vital” and added “the worst that can happen is they say no” to billpayers who ask authorities for help to manage their budgets.
More than 378,000 people have signed the charity’s petition, calling on the Labour Government to save the Winter Fuel Payment, which was cut “with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners”. New eligibi.