Wolverhampton Council to spend £3.3 million on council tax relief amid increase

Wolverhampton Council will spend £3.3m of Government cash to help reduce bills for those in need by up to £150 amid coronavirus.

It comes as council tax has risen across the city this week by 3.99 per cent – including two per cent for social care – after proposals were signed off last month.

Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East, strongly urged Wolverhampton Council to use the funding "immediately", saying the increase couldn't have come at a "harder time" for people.

Ms Stevenson said: "With council tax bills in Wolverhampton rising by nearly four per cent this week, I am strongly urging the city council to use this extra funding immediately, and ease the burden of this council tax increase on my constituents.

"The increase couldn’t come at a harder time for the most vulnerable people in our city, so I hope that the council will act quickly to support those people and make sure that nobody is forced to pay bills that they can’t afford."

The funding applies to people already in receipt of council tax support, with councils taking into account circumstances, income and savings.

Council chiefs say they are working as quickly as possible to ensure everyone in need receives the support.

Councillor Louise Miles, Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for resources, said: "This Government funding is specifically to be used to lower the council tax bills – up to a maximum of £150 per year – of those working age households which are in receipt of council tax support.

"This will happen automatically for those people who are eligible, we are processing these as quickly as possible in conjunction with our software supplier.

New bills will be issued to those residents who qualify to confirm when a reduction has been applied.

"We recognise that Covid-19 is likely to cause fluctuations in household incomes and this is why we announced last week a series of measures to support residents who may struggle to pay their council tax during the coronavirus outbreak."

Court action against people to recover has already been suspended – with people who cannot pay being able to negotiate repayment plans.

"We know that loss of income will increase the number of people eligible for help to pay their bills through council tax support – so they could go online to www.wolverhampton.gov.uk to check their eligibility and make a claim," Councillor Miles added.