Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government
Today, I have laid the draft Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements and Default Scheme) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2024 before the Senedd.
Subject to the approval of the Senedd, these Regulations will uprate the financial figures in the Council Tax Reduction Schemes and Prescribed Requirements (Wales) Regulations 2013 and the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Default Scheme) (Wales) Regulations 2013 to ensure that the scheme in place for the 2024-25 financial year reflects increases in the cost-of-living. This helps to ensure that the scheme maintains entitlements for almost 261,000 low-income households across Wales who rely on this support.
In addition, we want to ensure that no applicant living in Wales is negatively impacted because they have received a widowed parent’s back payment or a retrospective bereavement support payment. It is therefore proposed that a consequential amendment will be made to disregard the payment received from the calculation of an applicant’s capital under the scheme.
Further amendments proposed will ensure applicants in Wales are treated in the same way for any compensation or support payment made in connection with the failings of the Post Office Horizon system. Compensation payments relating to the Vaccine Damage Payment scheme, or the Infected Blood Inquiry will also be disregarded from the calculation of an applicant’s capital under the scheme.
I look forward to the debate on the Regulations early in the New Year.