Support to help people in need pay council tax

Funding of up to £3million has been allocated by the county council to help West Sussex households struggling to pay their council tax bills for the second year running.

The funds are for additional discretionary relief, administered by district and borough councils, for working age residents claiming council tax reduction relief who can benefit from having their bill reduced by up to £150.

This is separate from recent announcements from central government to support council taxpayers in Bands A to D which are due to be introduced in the year ahead.

Paul Marshall, leader of WSCC, said: “This has been a very challenging time for many in our county. We have listened to concerns from residents about the rising costs of living on top of the pressures of the pandemic.”

The county council is proposing to increase its share of council tax by 2.99 per cent in 2022/23, with one per cent of this for adult social care.