Single occupancy council tax discount reviewed

Residents are being urged to let Rochdale Council know if they are still claiming council tax discounts that they are no longer entitled to.

Around 32,000 households are currently receiving a 25 per cent council tax discount because there is only one adult living in the property. When circumstances within households change, for example if someone else moves in, the property may no longer qualify for a discount and residents are legally required to notify the council.

Rochdale Council will shortly be doing their regular comparison of the list of discount claimaints with other databases, to identify cases where more than one adult is living at an address and discount is still being claimed. The council has the power to impose back charges for fraudulently claimed discounts and in some cases people who have deliberately lied so that they can claim a discount could face legal action.

Councillor Greg Couzens, cabinet member for finance, said: “We know that there are people getting reductions that they shouldn’t be and we’re determined to put a stop to it.

"The cost of council tax discounts is paid by all other council taxpayers in the borough so we regularly check that people are still entitled to receive their discount to ensure that the system is fair to everyone. We can impose a penalty on anyone who has claimed discount when more than one person is living in a property but we’d prefer not to have to do this and therefore I would urge people to tell us immediately if their circumstances have changed.”

Councillor Couzens added: “It’s also important to get in touch if you think you are entitled to a reduction in your council tax but aren’t getting it. The purpose of the discount is to help those who live on their own or are the only adult in a household."