LGA responds to IFS report on council tax support

Responding to the report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies into support for low-income households through council tax support, Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Resources Board, said:

“Council tax support schemes are no longer fully funded, with almost £2 billion – around half of the original funding – removed between 2013 and 2020.

“No one wants to ask those on the lowest incomes to pay more but this has put councils in an impossible position. 

"Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost almost 60p out of every £1 the Government had provided for services. Alongside growing pressure on services, such as adult social care, children’s services, fixing potholes and collecting bins, this has meant many councils have had little choice but to reduce discounts.

“Councils have worked hard to try and protect discounts as much as possible but the Spending Review needs to ensure councils have the full amount of funding required to provide council tax support to those who need it. Otherwise, it is almost inevitable that bills will continue to be forced up for those who can least afford to pay.”