Call for feedback on proposals to modernise Council Tax Support

Feedback is being sought on proposals to modernise and simplify the council’s current Council Tax Support scheme for working-age people.

The existing scheme has been in place since 2013. The council is consulting on a new scheme which aims to maximise the support available to residents.

The changes seek to bring the scheme in line with Universal Credit and would see eligible, working-age households able to claim up to 100% discount from their Council Tax payment. Under the existing scheme the maximum claim is up to 90%.

Council Tax Support helps people who cannot afford to pay their Council Tax. It assists people who qualify for the scheme with a discount towards the payment of Council Tax, mainly based on the income of the household.

Each council must devise its own Council Tax Support scheme for working-age people. You are working age if you have not yet reached state pension age.

The public consultation is open to all, however the council is writing directly to the 7,373 households in Thanet currently in receipt of this support to inform them of the proposals and to encourage them to respond. Council Tax preceptors such as Kent County Council, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Kent Police, as well as local support agencies, will also be contacted.

The proposals, background information and online survey is available to view on our website and feedback must be submitted by no later than 11.59pm on Wednesday 1 October 2025. Printed copies of the survey can be made available upon request for anyone unable to complete it online. Alternative formats of the documentation can also be provided if required.

• View the Council Tax Support (CTS) scheme consultation here

Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Rob Yates said: “The current Council Tax Support scheme is no longer fit for purpose. Particularly with the government’s move to Universal Credit programme which will affect over 98% of working-age Council Tax Support claimants by April 2026. As well as seeking to modernise and simplify how it works, the new scheme crucially proposes to increase the maximum award to 100% of the Council Tax charge. This would benefit over 6,000 households, equivalent to a reduction on their bills of over £200 a year.

“Thanet has the highest number and proportion of children living in low income families in Kent (5,580, 22.1%). This step will have an important role in addressing the cost of living crisis that many of those children face growing up in our district. In total, this proposed scheme will result in residents across Thanet having £1.3m more in their pockets to spend on essentials and with local businesses. I would urge anyone with a view on these proposals to respond to the consultation. It’s important that the new scheme reflects the feedback of local people.”

The new scheme proposes the following changes:

• Introducing an income ‘grid’ scheme with four different levels of support: 100%, 75%, 50% and 25%
• Simplifying the scheme by removing the applicable amount and income premiums
• Increasing the maximum award from 90% to 100%
• Non-working households in receipt of Universal Credit to receive 100% Council Tax Support
• Introducing a standard Non-Dependant Deduction (NDD) of £10 per week
• Expanding the Capital Limits from £6,000 to £10,000
• Removal of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) – so support would be calculated based on actual self-employed income
• Supporting care leavers from the age of 21 years, up to their 25th birthday.

More information on these changes can be found on our website.

Pension age households will not be affected as central government decides how that scheme works.