SOMERSET residents have until October 1 to voice their concern on possible changes to THE Council Tax Reduction Scheme which offers financial support to working-age adults on low incomes.

In November 2023, Somerset Council declared a financial emergency due to increasing costs of providing key services and agreed to several actions to reduce spending.

This included a commitment to consult with the public on potential changes to the Scheme.

Council Tax Reduction is a discount offered for Council Taxpayers on low incomes. The proposed changes would only apply to working age adults – the support provided for pensioners would not be affected.

Cllr Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, said: “We fully recognise and appreciate the value of Council Tax Reduction to those on low incomes – in fact one of our first decisions as a unitary council was to harmonise this support for everyone across the county.

“However, the national model of funding local government is broken. The costs of providing key demand-led services have risen sharply and we have limited ways to raise income.

“Without national intervention, this means we have no choice but to consider all available options to reduce spending. But we will not do this lightly and it’s really important that people understand the changes being proposed and have their say so we can consider every impact before any decisions are made.”

The consultation runs until October 1 after which the results will be published.

Any decisions will come into effect from 1 April 2025.

Find out more on the council’s consultation webpage.