Fareham plans overhaul of council tax reduction affecting hundreds of low-income households
Claims from hundreds of people for council tax reductions will be administered more easily under a new scheme.
An overview and scrutiny board at Fareham Borough Council reviewed draft plans for how people who claim benefits will have their council tax bills calculated each month.
The review will focus on the 686 claimants of working age who were in total awarded £580,000 out of the £4.3million total paid out in 2024.
Council tax reduction is designed for people on low incomes to help pay their council tax.
A review of the scheme for 2026 is being made to improve the process and review entitlement, without reducing how much they can claim.
The scheme in Fareham supports 3,676 claimants, of which 1,736 are for pensioners, 1,254 are for the vulnerable of working age and 686 are for working age residents.
Council officer Elaine Hammell said at the August 27 meeting that because a claimant’s income and benefits may change each month, their council tax bill changes each month.
Her colleague Roy Brown added: “The current scheme is admin heavy and needs changing to make it simpler to administer, align it better to housing benefits, and give flexibility to staff who deal with the process.”
He said other local authorities are changing their systems, and software companies are also involved in helping to simplify the process.
Any new scheme must be agreed by full council after going through a public consultation by March 2026.