Millions of Brits to get £150 OFF their council tax bill for this year because of coronavirus
MILLIONS of people in England are set to get their council tax bills slashed by £150 this year because of the coronavirus crisis.
Ministers today revealed that working age people who get Council Tax Support will be able to get an extra helping hand with their bill.
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A £500 million Hardship Fund will provide support to those who need it most, the Government said today.
New bills should be being issued in the coming weeks to everyone affected for the 2020/21 year.
The Government expects councils to use the extra cash to reduce the bills of everyone who is eligible by £150 a year.
And if they have a bill for less than that, they likely won't pay council tax at all.
An estimated 2.3million people are expected to benefit from today's news.
And councils will also be able to use the funding to provide further discretionary support to vulnerable people who need it through local schemes.
Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said today: "Providing the necessary financial support to people and families is critical at this difficult time when many people will be concerned about changes to their income.
"That’s why we’re giving local councils an additional £500 million, to ensure help is available for the most vulnerable people in our society who are struggling to pay their council tax bills.
"The Government is on your side and will do whatever takes to help."
Council tax is devolved so others in Scotland and Wales will differ.
Councils will receive an additional £1.6 billion in funding to enable them to respond to other COVID-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including for adult social care workforce and for services helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.
The news comes 24 hours after Boris Johnson announced the country is on lockdown and as the death toll from the virus rose to 422 with more than 8,000 cases in total.
The draconian measures which will change every aspect of Brits' lives included:
- All gatherings of more than two people in public were forbidden – meaning a ban on all social events, including weddings and baptisms
- Tens of thousands of non-essential shops were ordered to close
- Communal play and exercise areas inside parks will also be shut down, but not parks themselves
- Places of worship such as churches and mosques must also shut, except to host for funerals
- Travel on roads, trains and buses was also banned, unless it’s essential to get to work.
