Each year Buckinghamshire Council must decide whether to change the Council Tax Reduction scheme for working age applicants in its area. There are no changes for pension age applicants as they are part of the national scheme. This year the Council is deciding whether to significantly change the working age Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
In Buckinghamshire, currently around 22,196 Council Tax payers receive Council Tax Reduction of which 13,912 are of working age. The gross cost of the scheme is spread across Buckinghamshire Council (84.4%), the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley (13.0%), and the Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Authority (2.6%) in accordance with the proportion of Council Tax which each organisation levies (which is shown in brackets). Currently, the total cost of the scheme is around £32.8m, with around £19.7m supporting working age households. The proposed scheme costs are estimated at £31.7m.
We are legally required to consult on any proposed changes to the scheme and we’re asking you to take part in this consultation to find out what you think about our proposed Council Tax Reduction Scheme. If agreed the Council Tax Reduction Scheme would start from 1 April 2026.
How your data is used by the Council is detailed in the Council's Privacy Notices as follows:
Buckinghamshire Council Tax Privacy Notice - Privacy and Council Tax | Buckinghamshire Council
Buckinghamshire General Privacy Notice - Privacy notice | Buckinghamshire Council
Thank you for taking the time to share your views. It should take around 10 minutes to fill in this consultation.