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Applicable Amount and Council Tax Support
Philosophical debate in the in the office - not easy to live on £71 a week, but if someone’s applicable amount is what the government expects them to live on, but no choice next year other than to pay 25% - 30% of their council tax liability (expected for Devon LAs), then surely the ‘applicable amount’ becomes the ‘political amount’ ?
It happened a few years ago when LHA was first introduced. From then around half of people receiving LHA started having to pay something out of their Income Support, JSA, ESA or low earnings towards their rent. At that stage they were left with less to live on that had previously been considered to effectivly be the minimum to meet their needs.
Good point. Don’t think there’s much chance of a sensible government review of the minimum costs of living at the moment either!
Even worse (everywhere *) if you’re under 25 - what’s going to be left out of £56.25 ?
* I’ve seen proposals for CTS schemes requiring 35%, 40% and 50% contributions from people with no-income - Brentwood is the worst I’ve looked at so far - proposing a 100% (!!) cut in CTS from April for most under 25s.
Jeeeez….sounds like we are going to get postcode migrations!!! Can I just point out that it rains a lot down here, that’s why we have lots of dairy farms (!)