Our Local Council Tax Support scheme – Council Tax Support scheme consultation 2025
Consultation closes: Wednesday, 7 January 2026
Consultation opened: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Our Council Tax Support scheme is based on four income bands. Each applicant’s assessed income (could be earned income, or benefits) is calculated and placed into a band, and this determines how much of a reduction is applied to the household’s Council Tax bill.
There are different income bands for each size of household and the band you are placed into determines the percentage by which your Council Tax is reduced.
Read more about the income bands for single people and couples.
The scheme only applies to working-age claimants; support for pension-age residents is still set by national rules and is not affected by local schemes. If someone has more than £16,000 in savings or assets, they cannot get support.
The maximum level of support available is 100% and is currently awarded to those on the lowest assessed incomes. Currently, 7,288 claimants receive 100% support – meaning they pay no Council Tax at all. The number of claimants has increased from 5,340 claimants in 2022/23.
The table below shows the number of working age claims in each Council Tax band, the percentage of claims by Council Tax band, and the total number of properties across Central Bedfordshire in each Council Tax band. As an example, the column “Band A” shows that there are 2,208 claimants living in Band A properties, which is 23.1% of the total 9,543 working age claimants. It also shows that there is a total of 11,335 properties in Council Tax Band A.
| Claimants | Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | Band E | Band F | Band G | Band H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimants by Council Tax bands | 2,208 | 3,194 | 3,080 | 815 | 186 | 41 | 19 | 0 |
| Percentage of claims by Council Tax band | 23.1% | 33.5% | 32.3% | 8.5% | 2% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0% |
| Total properties in Central Bedfordshire | 11,335 | 25,723 | 36,972 | 26,898 | 17,873 | 10,246 | 5,729 | 413 |
Some types of income are not counted (income disregard).
When working out how much Council Tax Support someone can get, not all income is included in the calculation. This helps make sure the scheme gives more support to people who are working, caring for others, or living with a disability.
The types of income that are not counted include:
- part of someone’s earnings: A set amount is disregarded to support people in work – this is £32 per week for single applicants and £52 per week for couples, lone parents, disabled or carers
- disability benefits: Payments like Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and the Support Component of Employment and Support Allowance
- child-related payments: Child Benefit and Child Maintenance
- some elements of Universal Credit: Some components, such as help with housing costs, childcare, disability, and caring responsibilities
- Carer’s Allowance: Carer’s Allowance when Universal Credit is not in payment
- war pensions: all war pensions and war disablement pensions