What discounts are available?
A 25% discount is awarded if there is only one resident aged 18
or over.
A 25% discount is awarded where there is more than one resident,
and all but one are 'disregarded persons' for the purposes of the
council tax.
A 10% discount is awarded for a furnished dwelling which is not
used as a sole or main residence, for example a second home. (The
Local Government Act 2003, in amending the Local Government Act
1992, gave local councils some discretion in the level of discounts
offered to council tax payers, notably enabling them to reduce the
discounts on furnished properties not used as main residences, for
example second homes, from 50% to 10%. The Court of Common Council
of the City of London has determined that with effect from 1 April
2007 the amount of discount awarded to dwellings in Class B as
defined in the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings)
(England) Regulations 2003 prescribed by the Secretary of State
under the provisions of Section 11A of the Local Government Finance
Act 1992 should be 10%).
A 50% discount is awarded for a dwelling which is both
unoccupied as a sole or main home and is unfurnished, ie empty.
Physical inspection of all unfurnished properties will be carried
out to verify their status.
If you think that you may be entitled to a discount and it is
not shown on your bill please
contact Liberata.
Assistance for those with disabilities
For information about reductions for people with
disabilities see
band reductions.
Disregarded persons
Certain people are not counted when looking at the number of
adults resident in a dwelling if they meet certain conditions:
- Full-time students, student nurses, apprentices, youth training
trainees and foreign language assistants
- A student's spouse or dependent who is not a British Citizen
and who is prevented by the terms of their entry visa from taking
paid employment or from claiming benefits
- Patients resident in hospital
- People who are being looked after in care homes
- People who are severely mentally impaired
- People staying in certain hostels or night shelters
- People under the age of 20 who are at school or have just left
school
- People in respect of whom child benefit is payable
- Care workers working for low pay, usually for charities
- People caring for someone with a disability who is not a
spouse, partner, or child under 18
- Members of visiting forces and certain international
institutions
- Members of religious communities (monks and nuns)
- People in prison (except those in prison for non-payment of
council tax or a fine)
- Diplomats or people who benefit from diplomatic immunity and
certain members of their household.
If you think any of the above apply to you and that you may be
entitled to a discount,
please
contact Liberata.
Important notices
If your bill shows that you have been given a discount but you
think that you are not entitled to the discount, or the
circumstances in your household change, for example a child reaches
the age of 18, you must
advise Liberata within 21 days, otherwise you may have to pay a
penalty of £50, as well as the increased council tax.
Data protection statement
Your personal information will be held and used in accordance
with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. This
Authority is under a duty to protect the public funds that it
administers and, to this end, may use the information we hold about
you within this Authority for the prevention and detection of
fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies
administering or in receipt of public funds, solely for these
purposes.