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Cost of living support

Advice and support to help manage the rising cost of living.

Local Council Tax Support (LCTS)

Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) has replaced the national Council Tax Benefit scheme and is provided to people on low incomes to help with their Council Tax bill.

You can apply for Local Council Tax Support if you own your home, rent, are unemployed or working.

What you get depends on:

  • where you live - each council runs its own scheme
  • your circumstances (e.g. income, number of children, benefits, residency status)
  • your household income - this includes savings, pensions and your partner's income
  • If your children live with you
  • if other adults live with you


Each year the council must consult on the proposed scheme for the following year.

The results of the consultation on the council's LCTS scheme for 2024-25 (PDF) [2MB] were considered by councillors and the scheme was agreed by Cabinet on 2 November 2023.

► Local Council Tax Support - application forms and documents

 

Changes to Council Tax Benefit

From the 1st April 2013 Council Tax Benefit was abolished and replaced instead with a Localised Council Tax Support Scheme (LCTS). This change only affected Working Age claimants. Pensioners are protected from this change.

Each Local Authority gets a fixed yearly payment from Central Government to pay the Local Council Tax Support to the entitled residents. Government funding allocated to councils for LCTS has fallen to below 90% of its previous Council Tax Benefit spend. Uttlesford District Council has worked in conjunction with other Essex Authorities to determine who would be entitled to have their Council Tax charge reduced, taking into account the funding cut and protecting pensioners.

 

► Read the Council Tax Benefit Reforms leaflet (PDF) [333KB]

► Who is affected by the current Scheme?

 

Go straight to our other related services

►  What evidence do I need to support my claim?
►  I disagree with the amount of my reduction, can I appeal?
►  Report a change of circumstances
►  Help for those suffering financial hardship
►  Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Policy (PDF) [160KB]
 

Additional Information

► Applying for a Council Tax Reduction (external link)
►  More information on how the Local Council Tax Support Scheme was agreed