Have your say on a new Council Tax Support scheme for 2026-27
What is Council Tax Support
Council Tax Support is help for people on a low income to meet some of the cost of Council Tax.
There are two Council Tax Support schemes:
- a pensioner scheme which is set by the Government
- a working age scheme which the Council decides annually
The current working age scheme has a maximum level of support of 70%. This means that all working age claimants pay a minimum of 30% of their Council Tax charge.
The scheme was last changed in 2020 but it remains complex, costly to administer, and is expensive compared to many neighbouring Councils. Claims for the working age Council Tax Support scheme in Wakefield increased by 6.7% in the last year – the highest number in West Yorkshire.
With the Council facing very difficult financial circumstances, we need to consider options to save money and help continue to deliver essential services for you.
Have your say
We want to make sure that Council Tax Support continues to be available to support our most vulnerable working age residents now and in the future.
We’re asking for your views on some proposed changes to Wakefield’s working age Council Tax Support scheme for 2026-27.
These changes include:
- working out Council Tax Support on a daily basis instead of weekly
- changes to when the claim for support will start.
- reducing the maximum capital limit (this includes savings, stocks, shares, investments and second homes) from £16,000 to £6,000
- increasing the weekly deduction for other adults in the household from £5 to £7.50
- simplifying how we calculate income
- introducing a ‘Minimum Income Floor Wage’ for self-employed residents
- reducing the actual value of the Council Tax Support award by 10%
For more information on these changes and how they could affect you, please view the proposed changes document.
What happens next?
The consultation will end on 13 April 2025.
We will look very carefully at all the feedback before making any decisions. If any changes to the scheme are proposed, a report will be submitted to Council for approval, containing full details of the changes, and the responses from the consultation.
If approved, the new scheme will come into effect on 1 April 2026.
You can give us your views on these changes by completing the survey below. Before you start the survey, please make sure you have read the additional information about these proposed changes.