Council tax benefit to be abolished

[silverback12345]

Hi to all,
Council tax benefit will no longer exist from April 2013. It will be replaced by "local council tax discount scheme" run by your local council and funding from the Government will be reduced by 10%. This only affects people born after 5th Oct 1951 so people of working age. Local councils have been left to decide what percentage if any will be paid by people currently receiving full CTB.
So some people on benefits will be better off than others. There is already a bias towards income based benefits in the system already.Very little help is available for anyone on contribution based benefits.

My council have informed me I will have to pay 18.5% of my CT this equates to approx £275 I have no idea how I will pay this money.It's very worrying. I am unwell and disabled and had to leave my job and claim IB I have now been transfered to ESA contribution based support group. I was hoping I could apply for a reduction in CT (adapted property) but have been informed because it is my bathroom that is adapted (wet room) this does not qualify. I do have an aid in the bedroom but this is a removable bed frame to allow me to turn over and get out of bed. I need the kitchen adapted but my OT said this will not be done because I am not in a wheelchair. I do not live alone my wife and daughter live with me.
I am not sure how aware people are concerning the abolishment of CTB and did not see a post on here so thought I would bring it to light.I apologise if this has already been discussed or I have posted in the wrong forum.

[labman]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

DELETED Couldn't make links work (this probably goes to one of two intended)

[Bill-K]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

Hi Silverback, and welcome to you, fellow simian !!! Well, I for one wasn't aware of this further whittling away of benefits - so, thank you for posting that. I suspect there will be a lot of challenges made to benefit determinations in the time to come.

I would have thought that conversion of a conventional bathroom to a wet room to have been a sufficiently sizeable and necessary adaptation of a property to qualify it as an 'adapted property' for CT reduction. I can't advise on this in any depth, but my experience of battling with councils has taught me never to take 'no' for an answer. They invariably seem to have been taught on the lines of "Sod the rule book. Say 'no,' and then see what they do." I suspect you will have to do some research on this.

[enaid]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

The new Benefit System

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a new single payment for people who are looking for work or on a low income.
Universal Credit will help claimants and their families to become more independent and will simplify the benefits system by bringing together a range of working-age benefits into a single streamlined payment. The new Universal Credit system aims to:

• improve work incentives
• smooth the transitions into and out of work, supporting a dynamic labour market
• simplify the system, making it easier for people to understand, and easier and cheaper for staff to administer
• reduce in-work poverty
• cut back on fraud and error.

It will be launched in 2013 and will replace:

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits
• Housing Benefit.

The explanations in full for each of the above are given in this link

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare...versal-credit/


The Proposals of the replacement to Council

http://www.solutions.entitledto.co.u...ncil%20Tax.pdf

A Summary of the above proposals.

Low-income families could lose hundreds of pounds a year under controversial Coalition moves to slash council tax benefit payments.
Ministers have ordered widespread cuts to the benefit to save the Treasury £500m a year – but have told councils they have to decide who will lose the money. Council chiefs, including senior Tories, have denounced the reductions which will come into force in April, protesting that they will leave them facing impossible decisions over where the axe should fall. The Independent understands they have raised the issue with ministers.
About six million people currently have all their council tax paid or are given some money towards it. The average payment is almost £16 a week. From April, the amount of money the Treasury will give to town halls to redistribute as council tax benefit is being cut by 10 per cent.
Benefits being paid to the elderly are protected, so the cuts could fall heavily on the unemployed and those in low-paid jobs. Alternatively, council tax bills could be raised across the board to make up the shortfall.

[silverback12345]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

Thank you for the welcome and the replies.
Universal credit does not include the new scheme replacing CTB it is separate and will be enforced April 1st 2013.
What remains outside of Universal Credit?

Council Tax Benefit

Under the new system, local authorities will play a greater role in actually deciding how they help people on low incomes pay their Council Tax, at the moment they just administer it by following rules set centrally. The exact details of how this is to be done are still under discussion. A more cost-effective system is expected to account for the previously announced 10% reduction in CTB expenditure from 2013/14.
Carer’s Allowance

The Government is considering whether the introduction of Universal Credit will mean changes need to be made to Carer's allowence. Although no changes have been announced, the paper makes clear the intention that people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance will be offered support to maintain links with the world of work and will continue to receive national insurance credits.
Contributory Benefits

Contribution based JSA and ESA will continue to exist alongside Universal Credit. As some people will be entitled to both contributory benefit and Universal Credit, contributory benefits will be administered using the same systems and will adopt the same earnings rules as Universal Credit.
Disability Living Allowance

DLA (or its proposed replacement PIP) will continue to be available in addition to the Universal Credit payment for disability.
Child Benefit

Child benefit will continue to be available in addition to the Universal Credit payments for children.
Social Fund

Local authorities will be given responsibility for the discretionary payments made from the Social fund, such as Community care grants and Crisis loans. Those which can be automated will become part of Universal Credit, like Budgeting loans (only available to income based benefits claimants).

Crisis loan rules have changed and basically now offer very little chance of a successful application unless you have had a disaster like a fire or flood. A crisis loan was the only help available to people on contribution based benefits.

[silverback12345]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

Hi Silverback, and welcome to you, fellow simian !!! Well, I for one wasn't aware of this further whittling away of benefits - so, thank you for posting that. I suspect there will be a lot of challenges made to benefit determinations in the time to come.

I would have thought that conversion of a conventional bathroom to a wet room to have been a sufficiently sizeable and necessary adaptation of a property to qualify it as an 'adapted property' for CT reduction. I can't advise on this in any depth, but my experience of battling with councils has taught me never to take 'no' for an answer. They invariably seem to have been taught on the lines of "Sod the rule book. Say 'no,' and then see what they do." I suspect you will have to do some research on this.

Thanks for the reply fellow simian lol.Unfortunately it looks like the rules do not include bathrooms.

A person liable to pay Council Tax may apply for a reduction in the bill under the Disabilities Regulations.
Under the Regulations, a reduction is applicable if one of the following is a feature of the dwelling and is required as essential or of major importance to the well-being of the disabled person:
(a)
A room, other than a bathroom, kitchen or lavatory, which is mainly required for meeting the needs of a disabled resident, e.g. treatment room or a ground floor bedroom in a two-storey property (the principal bedroom of the disabled person would not be considered a room under this category.).
(b)
An additional bathroom/shower-room or an additional kitchen for meeting the disabled resident’s needs, e.g. one specifically adapted to accommodate wheelchair users.
(c)
Sufficient floorspace for a disabled resident to use a wheelchair inside the property which must be required by them for day to day living).
The reduction takes the form of moving the property into the next lower valuation band, e.g. if a property is placed in band C and the disability reduction applies, the liable person will be billed as though the property fell in band B. Properties in band A will now benefit from a reduction of one ninth of the average Council Tax band of D effective from 1st April 2000.

Yes I agree there are many more changes on the way to benefits. At the moment PIP is the one worrying people like myself who are on DLA. I was given an indefinite award my conditions are progressive and incurable. At the moment it is estimated 500,000 people on DLA will lose entitlement a scary thought.

[enaid]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

[QUOTE=silverback12345;298975]Thank you for the welcome and the replies.
Universal credit does not include the new scheme replacing CTB it is separate and will be enforced April 1st 2013.
What remains outside of Universal Credit?

This was the bit in my post about the replacement of council tax.


The Proposals of the replacement to Council Tax

http://www.solutions.entitledto.co.u...ncil%20Tax.pdf

[labman]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

The absolutely MAD thing with these new proposals that the councils are keeping hush, is there is a pot of money in central government to support the councils with their new policies, and unlike now, this pot is not ring fenced.However, there is still pressure for councils to make substantial cuts. I'll try to post the link below of the second of the two I was going to post up last night. Scroll down and it shows a draft policy, and the effect on people in various situations. The link which bizarrely works in post two shows the challenge faced. I suspect most councils will be similar to this draft:

http://www.brent.gov.uk/localcounciltaxsupport

[silverback12345]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

[QUOTE=enaid;298978]

Thank you for the welcome and the replies.
Universal credit does not include the new scheme replacing CTB it is separate and will be enforced April 1st 2013.
What remains outside of Universal Credit?

This was the bit in my post about the replacement of council tax.

The Proposals of the replacement to Council Tax

http://www.solutions.entitledto.co.u...ncil%20Tax.pdf

Sorry enaid I missed that part I must put my glasses on lol.
It is not a proposal though I have had a letter from the council it is being implemented. I am just waiting to see what the council decide is the amount I will have to pay. The amount of 18.5% is what they are considering at the moment. What I find extremely unfair is some councils will decide that people have to pay different percentages.

[enaid]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

It is not a proposal no lol it is happening, the info on there gives all the different councils and shows the percentages they are using.
All that will happen with this is the hard faced bunch who can survive and survive better than some on benefits will not be affected at all. Only as I have said before the genuine and honest will once again have to pay for that lot.

[silverback12345]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

Hi Labman,
Yes I read about the funds not being ring fenced. There are concerns councils may well absorbed the funds.My local council are proposing the amount mentioned because they will have to run the scheme. But as you say there are funds available to support them in running the new schemes. I can understand protecting pensioners but what about disabled people? It is estimated a third of disabled adults live in low income families. For people like me there is no choice my income is fixed the same as a pensioner I cannot find extra money when needed.At least if I was well and claiming JSA there would be a chance of getting a job well a slim one at least.

[labman]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

You've a magic touch Enaid! lol

The link you've posted it the link you still go to if you click post 2. I was trying to post that and the Brent draft policy, but it just wouldn't let me. As you can see from post 2, it was very strange, as anything I typed turned into a link to 'Entitled to'

Thanks for getting it right! :beagle:

[silverback12345]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

enaid
I totally agree. I think the benefits system does need changing but not to the detriment of genuine people who have fallen on hard times.It's always the same the many suffer for the few.

[enaid]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

You've a magic touch Enaid! lol

The link you've posted it the link you still go to if you click post 2. I was trying to post that and the Brent draft policy, but it just wouldn't let me. As you can see from post 2, it was very strange, as anything I typed turned into a link to 'Entitled to'

Thanks for getting it right! :beagle:

I watch merlin on a Saturday lol

[bluebottle]

Re: Council tax benefit to be abolished

This all assumes the coalition government is still in office to see it come into force in April 2013. My intuition tells me they won't. People are waking up to what is going on and Cabbage Patch Doll Cameron knows this and is cacking himself. Just look closely at him the next time he is on television. He is very nervous. He knows the game's up and he knows the coalition is doomed. Expect a vote of no confidence around February and a snap General Election around next April.