PEOPLE who benefit from Wiltshire Council’s tax reduction scheme are less likely to see changes in their council tax rates, after the maximum level of change in income which will affect their benefit is increased.

Low income households will have more certainty when it comes to fixed council tax fees, as now a £7 a week change in income, whether up or down, will be ignored. The previous threshold for income change was just £1 a week.

Proposals to change the scheme were first announced in July after members of the public said they were worried about getting the slightest increase in weekly salary as their council tax would be increased.

With the new changes, being implemented in April 2020, a reduction in weekly income of less than £7 a week would also be ignored, meaning the same amount of council tax would need to be paid.

The decision comes after discussions at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting where councillors said the existing scheme meant council tax was needing to be recalculated too often.

The change was put forward by cabinet member for finance and procurement Cllr Simon Jacobs.

Council leader Phillip Whitehead said: “This change effectively says your income can change by £7 a week and we won’t take any action.

“One of the additional benefits is to these poor people who are getting letter after letter after letter from us week after week after week saying your council tax is changing.

“It was getting bonkers just how much council tax was having to be recalculated.”

The council tax reduction scheme in Wiltshire is a means tested benefit that currently provides financial support to 25,000 households on a low income, at a current annual cost of £25 million to the council.

The current scheme replaced the national Council Tax Benefit scheme in April 2013. The scheme is reviewed every year but has remained fundamentally the same since it was introduced.

However over the past two years it has been found to be too sensitive to minor changes in monthly salaries.

Councillors said that without making the changes, the scheme would become too confusing for members of the public, increase the risk of people getting into debt and increase the costs of council tax collection.