Question mark hangs over aid for council tax bills
But almost two weeks since the measure was announced in the Chancellor’s budget on March 11, English councils are still waiting on details of whether this cash could be used to give homes a break from payments.
“The Government holds all the legal powers on this matter,” said Greame Miller, the leader of Sunderland City Council.
“If it were to do this then it must commit to reimbursing all councils.”
The government has previously said it expects its latest package of hardship funding to be passed on to households ‘either through existing Council Tax Support schemes or through similar measures’.
Various scheme to offer discounts or exemptions from bills are already offered by councils, but vary between local authority areas.
On Wearside, families can already qualify for payment reductions or see them waived entirely if they are disabled or carers, among other criteria.
The city council also offers a ‘discretionary relief ’ under which bills can be reduced due to ‘exceptional circumstances’.
Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Stephen O’Brien called for a sixmonth council tax ‘holiday’ to stop people falling into debt.
He said: “Many families face really uncertain times ahead, especially those who run their own business, who are self-employed, or who are zero-hours contracts. For a lot of people, council tax bills are a huge dent in the money they have available to keep a roof over their heads and keep their families fed.”
Coun O’Brien added this should be funded by government so councils are not left short due to lost revenue.
Durham County Council has promised to suspend debt recovery action against anyone owing unpaid council tax or business rates during the COVID-19 outbreak.