Single Person Council Tax discount review

Single Person Council Tax discount review

Conwy County Borough Council has recently conducted a review to check the eligibility of a number of properties registered for Single Person discount. The discount is worth 25% off Council Tax if only one adult lives at a property.

As part of the review, residents were contacted to establish if they were entitled to the discount.

Whilst the majority of the households registered were claiming the reduction legitimately, the Council identified a range of circumstances where they were not eligible or where individuals were falsely claiming. There could be instances where the Council hasn’t been told about a change in a household occupancy which affects the reduction or, in some cases, a false claim could have been made deliberately.

The review identified just under £275k which was being wrongly claimed, and which the Council has set about recovering from those residents who are not entitled to the discount.

Cllr Nigel Smith, Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Economy, said, “These reviews are part of our work to protect the public purse and detect fraud. It’s also important to make sure that everyone pays their fair share – if you’re not eligible for the discount and are avoiding paying full council tax, then reviews like this will help identify fraudulent activity.”

“It’s vital that we maximise our income to be able to provide services for all our residents, especially at a time when the financial outlook for Councils remains challenging. Council Tax revenue accounts for around 30% of the Council’s budget, with other funds coming direct from Welsh Government.”

Single Person Discount reviews take place regularly.  Any taxpayers who currently receive a discount that they may not now be eligible for are urged to contact the Council Tax service to amend their details.  

A review of properties that should be paying a Council Tax Premium, like a second home or a long term empty property, is also in progress. Around 100 properties have so far been identified where an additional Premium needs to be paid.

You can report a change of circumstances by emailing: counciltax@conwy.gov.uk