LATEST UPDATE

Shropshire Council has announced it is offering residents whose employment or income has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic the opportunity to delays payment of Council Tax until 1^st June 2020.

*If your direct debit instalment date is due 1^st April 2020, it is important you access the following link in order to complete an online form so that your April instalment can be amended:

https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/council-tax/support-for-residents-impacted-by-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

If you don’t have access to the internet, please ring the Revenues and Benefit Team on 0345 678 9002 where an officer will be happy to complete the form on your behalf.

Discounts & Reductions

The information outlined below provides updates on the Governments pledge to support Local Authorities and the public during this period when it comes to Council Tax.

If you are currently out of work, whether it be due to the coronavirus pandemic, or if your family have encountered a change in circumstances where income has reduced, we strongly recommend you make an application for Council Tax Support.

The easiest way to submit this application will be to visit the Shropshire Council website, accessing the following link:

https://shropshire.gov.uk/benefits/apply-for-housing-benefit-or-council-tax-support/

You may also feel that some circumstances apply, such as a disability, where in addition or separate to any benefit entitlement, you could qualify for a discount.  Please visit the following link to check what other discounts are available:

https://shropshire.gov.uk/council-tax/discountsdisregards-exemptions-and-reductions-for-disabilities/

Government confirms £500 million hardship fund will provide council tax relief for vulnerable households

The government has set out that the Hardship Fund, which was announced by the Chancellor at Budget, will go to local authorities in England to enable them to reduce the 2020 to 2021 council tax bills of working age people receiving Local Council Tax Support.

Councils will also be able to use the funding to provide further discretionary support to vulnerable people through other support arrangements such as Local Welfare Schemes.

The Hardship Fund will support those in receipt of Local Council Tax Support schemes by reducing their council tax liability for 2020 to 2021.

Council Tax Debt

If you have previous years Council Tax arrears/debt, and further action has already been taken, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, further guidance has been given as follows:

If the account is already with bailiffs, ask the council to recall it and explain it would not be suitable for bailiffs to call. They can recall from bailiffs particularly if there is vulnerability, they have the final say over bailiff activity.

Bailiff Action – Advice when dealing with bailiffs

• Tell the bailiff firm that the client is vulnerable at the moment, and ask for accounts to be put on hold or taken back by the creditor.
• The taking control of goods national standards suggests there should be protocols in place between creditors and bailiffs for recalling accounts and also for guidance on treating vulnerable people fairly. Guidance also suggests bailiffs should report vulnerability back to creditors and creditors should decide how to progress.
• Bailiffs cannot add certain fees until they have given vulnerable people time to get advice.
• If the client is vulnerable and the only person present (or the only others are under 16), they cannot take goods although they do have a right to call.
• Help the client to suspend the bailiff action if it's a county court judgment or high court enforcement.
• Until the bailiff action can be stopped or suspended clients should be advised not to answer the door and to speak from a window. If the bailiff has a right to enter with reasonable force make immediate contact with the creditor.

This advice has been provided from the Debt Expert Advice Team with the Citizens Advice.  They are also working with the Money Advice Trust and other debt charities to ask for a pause to be put on bailiff action.