Council tax support top-up for over 1,000 households in the Ribble Valley

Households in receipt of council tax support will no longer have their support reduced by 12% – worth up to a handy £160 on some Band A properties.

The local council tax support scheme replaced Government-funded council tax benefit in 2013.

The support is paid as a discount on council tax bills and until now has been subject to a 12% reduction, depending on circumstances.

Now the council has decided to scrap the 12% reduction after 91% of respondents in a public consultation asked for it to be ditched.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said: “As households across the UK face an unprecedented cost of living increase, our prudent financial planning means that not only are we able to offer the lowest council tax in Lancashire and the one of the lowest in the country but we are now lifting the 12 per cent reduction in council tax support, which will help to some of our most hard-pressed families.”

The support is in addition to the Government’s one-off £150 ‘energy rebate’ for Band A to D households. These payments are currently being processed and further details are available at ribblevalley.gov.uk.

● Council tax in Ribble Valley is the lowest in Lancashire and one of the lowest in the UK, while the council remains the only one in Lancashire to collect refuse weekly and not charge for green waste. Further details are available at ribblevalley.gov.uk.