Council Tax Reduction Scheme consultation

Overview

We want to hear your views on our proposals for the working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme. 

The working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme exists to support the lowest income households by reducing the amount of Council Tax they must pay. The scheme does not apply to people of pension age, who are supported through a separate scheme which is set by central government. 

The current working age scheme has been largely unchanged since the government introduced council tax reduction in 2013. The changes we are proposing seek to simplify and streamline the scheme while continuing to ensure that vulnerable households are supported. The changes as currently drafted would also secure an additional £1.5m of Council Tax income by 2028/29, which would help the council balance its budget. 

This consultation is being carried out on behalf of the council by consultants ACS Ltd. 

How to have your say 

To read full details of the proposed changes to the scheme and to take part in the consultation, you are invited to respond to this consultation in one of the following ways: 

• the preferred method is to complete the online consultation on the SmartSurvey platform

Alternatively: 

• complete and return a printed version of the consultation (PDF, 190KB) 
• email us at revenuesandbenefits@buckinghamshire.gov.uk  
• write to us at Council Tax Reduction consultation, Revenues and Benefits, Buckinghamshire Council, Walton Street Offices, Aylesbury HP20 1UA 

If you have any questions about this activity, or require this information in another format or language, please email us at revenuesandbenefits@buckinghamshire.gov.uk 

Responses must be received by 11.59pm on 2 February 2025.  

What happens next  

We will review all of the responses we receive and take them into consideration when drawing up a final version of the 2026/27 Council Tax Reduction scheme. This will be presented to a full meeting of Buckinghamshire Council on 25 February 2025 for a final decision. 

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. Survey responses will be analysed using Microsoft products including Copilot, Excel and Word. For more information about data and privacy, please see our privacy policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.

ACS Ltd privacy notice

ACS Ltd does not collect, process, store or share personal data as defined by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our activities are strictly limited to the provision of professional services to local authorities and similar organisations. We do not handle information relating to identifiable individuals.

If you have any questions about this notice, you can contact ACS Ltd at admin@acssupport.co.uk