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DHPs and Council Tax Support
Have they changed the rules so that DHPs can be made for CTS
... or is it possible that Paul Lewis was wrong this morning when he tweeted
“If you face a council tax bill you cannot pay you can apply for a payment from the Discretionary Housing Fund run by your local council”
For all practical purposes he’s right although of course it is not technically a DHP. People can apply for a discretionary CT reduction under the original s13A power which is still there alongside CTR and the process for doing this has been formalised and integrated into the CTR scheme under para 9 of Schedule 7 to the prescribed content regs. To the punter it’s the same thing as DHP but probably with diminished chances of success because (i) it doesn’t attract any direct funding from government and (ii) in about 2/3 of English LAs the demand will dwarf that for DHPs under CTB because all or most working age claimants will be having to pay something for the first time.
just about to publish a new ‘A’ circular to rightsnet news ... it says -
‘Council Tax Benefit (CTB) will be abolished from 1 April 2013 and LAs will start to provide localised Council Tax support. Following this change, DHPs will no longer be permitted towards Council Tax liability. Similarly, CTB has been removed as one of the qualifying conditions for DHPs.’
There is a right of appeal to a valuation tribunal against a refusal; at least if the Council has a discretionary fund mentioned in its policy.