Thousands of Merton’s low income families lifted out of Council Tax

· by · in Benefits, Cost of living, Council finances and performance, Council Tax, Councillors and democracy. ·

In the coming financial year, Merton Council will continue to have one of the country’s most generous Council Tax Support (CTS) schemes, helping the borough’s least well-off households with the cost of living.

The scheme, which was approved at a meeting of full Council on 22 January, will mean that  thousands of households won’t have to pay Council Tax at all or will  pay a reduced amount.

The council set the qualifying threshold for the scheme in 2013, but the Government also reduced the funding for it at that time. Merton was one of the few councils to absorb the cost of keeping the scheme’s eligibility the same rather than removing support from some low-income households.

With local authorities having to cut their budgets since 2010, fewer and fewer councils have been able to maintain the same level of support, but Merton is now in its 13th year of ensuring that no household loses eligibility for CTS as a result of government cuts.

Most of those eligible for CTS will be claiming Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credits, but full details of eligibility, as well as information on how to apply, can be found on the council’s CTS webpage.

For those who aren’t eligible for CTS, but are still struggling to keep up with bills, the council has a range of support to help with family finances. Merton’s £3 million Cost of Living Fund is continuing to provide direct support and practical advice – such as the regular Cost of Living events that bring experts from around the council and community organisations together in one room to help residents with concerns from benefits, to energy saving, to debt support, and much more. To find out more about these events and all the other ways in which you can get support, visit the council’s cost of living webpage.

Councillor Billy Christie, Merton’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “I am so proud that Merton continues to have one of the most generous Council Tax Support schemes anywhere in the country. Protecting the pound in the pockets of local residents, especially the least well off, is a top priority for this administration. That’s why we have maintained the highest level of Council Tax Support, even after the previous government reduced the funding.

“In all our spending decisions, we look to squeeze every bit of value out of taxpayer’s money, and there is no doubt in my mind that spending this money to provide a lifeline for around 10,000 hardworking Merton families is a worthwhile investment.”