Council Tax is a charge on domestic properties which helps to pay for local services such as fire, police and council services. It is collected by your Local Authority.
Council Tax changes from 1 April 2013
The rules have changed for Council Tax and Council Tax Benefit. Some people who have not had to pay Council Tax before may now have to make payments.
On 31st March 2013 Council Tax Benefit was replaced with a Council Tax Reduction Scheme. Now, all people of working age have to pay something towards their Council Tax and the amount you need to pay is shown on your bill.
If you own an empty property you will have been affected by the changes as your Council Tax Discount will have been reduced or a premium added. Read about these changes on the Exemptions and discounts on Empty Homes page.
Benefit Changes from 1 April 2013
There are other changes introduced by the Government that affect housing benefit. These mean your housing benefit will have been cut if there is someone aged 18 or over living in your household for whom you do not claim benefit.
But perhaps the biggest change is to do with the size of your home - you might have heard this referred to in the media as the "bedroom tax".
Changes from April 2013 mean Housing Benefit will be restricted for some people who are living in a property larger than their household size.
Visit the Benefit Changes pages for more information.
Stay up to date: