Council agrees to offer tax relief to struggling families

Herefordshire Council has unanimously backed plans to offer more support for people facing financial hardship.

Councillors have today agreed to increase the discounts for those eligible for council tax relief during the next financial year.

More than 11,000 council taxpayers in Herefordshire currently receive a reduction and more than 6,000 of these claims come from working age householders.

Councillors expect this to increase during the next financial year due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Finance and corporate services cabinet member Liz Harvey said it was already taking its toll on local families.

“The impact that this has on people’s lives is severe now and government hopefully will continue to provide the support that is needed to enable households and businesses to get on their feet on the other side of this,” she said.

Councillor Kevin Tillett asked if the support would be enough for struggling families.

While councillor Ellie Chowns said it was was good that the council supported the most vulnerable families.

Chief finance officer Andrew Lovegrove urged anyone worried that they cannot pay their council tax that they should get in touch.

“Let us know and we can see how we can find a way of helping,” he said.

More than 70% of people who took part in the budget consultation said they supported an increase in support for local households facing financial difficulties.

All 52 county councillors backed the 2021/22 council tax reduction scheme.