Council Tax Benefit replacement update

Following the publication of the consultation document and the plans for local government in the bill (above),

each LA in England must have in place a council tax reduction scheme by 31 January 2013 and the new scheme must start on 1 April 2013;
the scheme must set out those who are entitled to a reduced bill;
the LA must consult before the scheme is finalised and each financial year it must consider whether to revise or to replace its scheme.

The Secretary of State will retain the power to decide will be automatically entitled to a reduced bill.

hbinfo note: the requirement to consult is something that has been missed by many. Time is very short!