Each year Colchester City Council must decide whether to change the Council Tax Support 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 change certain aspects of the working age Council Tax Support Scheme.
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 changes to the Council's Council Tax Support Scheme, which would start from 1 April 2026. We want to:
- Increase the income levels used to determine the level of support awarded to ensure the scheme is kept up to date (Part 1);
- Reduce the period which an application for support can be backdated (Part 2);
- Make changes to the current 'protected group' who automatically receive the maximum level of support (Part 3); and
- Make changes to the scheme to ignore any payments made through the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (Part 4).
Thank you for taking the time to share your views. It should take around 10 minutes to fill in this consultation.