Many people across the UK may be entitled to a council tax discount, says Martin Lewis, who has urged them, or their carers, to check whether they are eligible or not.
Those categorised as being "severely mentally impaired" could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of pounds and may not even be aware. And the money expert claimed there were plenty of people who were eligible but not in receipt of the discount.
According to a report in MyLondon, the categorisation means having an impairment of intelligence and social functioning that is permanent. This can come from health issues relating to dementia, learning difficulties, brain injuries, strokes and more, which needs to be medically certified.
Writing in the Money Saving Expert newsletter, Lewis stated: “I started banging the drum on the severe mental impairment council tax discount in 2016, as it seemed a worrying number of the country’s most vulnerable were missing out. Soon after, we did detailed research which showed it was a postcode lottery – with people 77 times more likely to get it with some councils than others – and ‘mystery shopping’ that showed 68 per cent of frontline staff didn’t or couldn’t explain it properly.”
It comes after a 98-year-old woman received a £15,000 council tax refund and had her future bills cancelled as she had vascular dementia. Her son, Graham, was encouraged by his wife to apply for the discount on behalf of his mum and just 10 weeks later, his mother received the giant refund.
Money Saving Expert campaigns lead Katie Watts said: “This council tax discount is rightly meant to help some of the most vulnerable in our society and this is one of the biggest backdated reclaims we’ve seen. Being refunded £15,000 is astonishing, and just goes to show how long this discount can go unclaimed for.”
Many local authorities will backpay any council tax that was overpaid, but not all of them will, warns the site. The advice from the Money Saving Expert team came in the wake of households being informed that their council tax bills go up under plans announced in the Autumn Budget.
In yesterday's budget was a clause in which the cap on the level of council tax rises could be increased to 5 per cent, up from the current 2.99 per cent. This could mean on average, council tax increases for some households of between £115 and £166 a year, taking the total annual cost to around £2,400.
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