Council Tax

[EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime]

Does Labour plan to scrap the single person council tax discount?

It looks more likely by the day - atrocious decision

Is there any actual evidence of such a plan?

Thats why I asked.
No plans’ to raise council tax but cut to discount not ruled outSource: CITY AM

Angela Rayner dodged the question yesterday (which speaks volumes). If it wasn't happening she would have denied it. Press are now reporting on it.

Evidence is that Ange, when asked, said they wouldn't increase council tax (I think they said that during the election) but when then asked about single person discount she refused to rule it out not being cut. So all in all prob means they'll cut it. It's amazing how easy it is to take money away from hard working people whilst simultaneously allowing a massive pay rise (45m) to the Royal Family.

No way... Really?
First I have heard about this.

I already work full time plus two evenings a week to make ends meet. This would tip me over the edge.

Incidentally, I firmly believe council tax will rise very soon, they just can't do all their planned grabs from hard working tax payers at once.

Unbelievable, if true.

It’s turning into death by a thousand cuts…

Was it ever going to be any different.

I have yet to meet a leopard which has successfully changed its spots.

As a single person, it's yet another thing that makes me feel like nothing benefits us.

And yes I know that some people (especially on MN it seems) earn the salary of 2, but mostly the country is built for dual-income households. Very frustrating

This is just the start. Losing 25% council tax discount is HUGE. If they think mental health is bad now imagine the future. People who survived will be in poverty.

Pensioners losing WFH, then those recently widowed having to deal with this. All very well downsizing when younger but how does someone mid 80s person cope with this and then have to deal with a house move just to pay bills

Young single people struggling with bills at the moment,

Couples unable to divorce due to increased council tax. Could contribute to DV spike

I completely agree with you.

I hope it’s just lazy reporting or Rayner simply being obtuse.

It's still two months to the budget although I'm not sure Council Tax reform needs to be linked to that.

I don't think the absence of a discount will have much influence on separating couples; it's finding the money for a deposit and rent that keeps people prisoners.

Thats rather dramatic only based on a rumour, chances are Rayner didn't know of any plans either way, so thats why she didn't answer the question, in other words a typical politicians answer.

I believe pre GE Starmer ruled out CT changes as "too complicated" and removing the single person discount will hit younger traditional Labour voters & pensioners, of which they have already pissed off with the WFA, getting help with CT is like finding rocking horse poo.

Interesting Rayner was emphatic with one part of her answer, and not the other.

Thats what’s concerning.

Our CT rose by the maximum this year. They cut every service it pays for. I already work a 50 hour week to feed and clothe my children, and I'm not entitled to benefits. Amazing.

Made even better by it being the actual same council who paid their bill to me late this month (I'm self employed). When I asked if this meant I could pay my council tax late, they said I should have three months salary saved for such contingencies 🤔

I don’t like labour and wouldn’t put a lot past them, but I didn’t think they’d cut this. That’s awful. And yes if they aren’t ruling it out it’s likely to be cut.

Shadow housing, communities and local government secretary Kemi Badenoch earlier told MPs: “It’s been reported that the Secretary of State is being lobbied to increase council tax and remove discounts like the single occupant discount
“Will she take this opportunity to reassure the House that the Government has no plans to increase council tax as they assured us before the election?”
Ms Rayner replied: “Yes.”

As she was asked about both in the question by KB and replied with a single word answer, i would be reassured by that, removing the SP discount is raising council tax.

Anyway CT will rise by 5% as it does each and every year, whilst we get less and less :(

Like i said, considering the mess they have got into over WFA, removing or lowering the discount would be folly, much better to ramp up CT on bands E F G & H, which proportionately are way too low.

Phew, thanks…

You are probably right.

I voted labour but this is an awful idea, single people are struggling enough as it is. Plus the obvious fact that a single person uses less of the services that council tax pays for so absolutely unfair. I'm not single but not happy about this at all, the discount is there for a good and fair reason.

I feel absolutely sick at this thought.

I am a single woman, 9 months into living on full state pension, with a v small private pension on top.

I have my own small, modest, Band B property, as I prioritised putting a roof over DC’s heads over savings etc.

So now as a single person I have to heat my home on one pension income (a couple use one boiler but share the cost!), have repairs, maintenance costs for my home, boiler servicing, sole responsibility for all overheads that couples share: TV Licence, insurance, broadband, and I pay 75% of the CT.

I am still fit and active so got out and about last winter to avoid heating my home during the day (my birthday just missed the cut off for Winter Fuel Allowance last year so I didn’t get it, even though I was a pensioner from October) and even so I could barely afford the bills for heating for 3 or 4 hours a day.

Not entitled to any benefits or help with anything.

I feel sick.

Hopefully it’s just lazy reporting.

Most of us agree it would be a hugely inequitable policy.

It's just more scaremongering, I reckon. I predict a u turn of sorts on the WFA, too. I think the criteria will be widened.

I read last week that councils were planning on asking Rachel Reeves for powers to put up council tax and take away the single person discount in the autumn budget but I find it hard to believe that labour would be that suicidal to actually agree to it.

I didn't vote for them and don't agree with them cutting the WFP for the pensioners but I think they are smart enough to read the room and know that this wouldn't be popular with the public.

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my behalf but at the moment all we have is hearsay from the media, worst case scenario they are testing the waters to see what the public makes of this decision?