Discretionary Council Tax Support

Discretionary Council Tax Support (DCTS)

We have designed a Discretionary Council Tax Support (DCTS) scheme to provide additional help and support to people experiencing hardship in paying their Council Tax.

Applications will be accepted on the basis that the applicant or household would suffer severe financial hardship if financial assistance were not given. To qualify for DCTS you will need to be able to provide information and evidence about your circumstances and the Council will need to be satisfied that you have exhausted other sources of income or options that are available to you.

Applying for help

You will need to complete the application form below and there are notes to help you complete the form, this form can now be completed online.

Make a claim for a Discretionary Payment

Discretionary Payment Claim Form (PDF Document, 5.96 Mb)

Discretionary Payment Claim Form Notes (PDF Document, 1.43 Mb)

Additional information

We will ask you the reason why you are making your application and we will ask you to provide details and evidence about your household income and expenditure. The more information you provide the easier it will be for us to make a decision.

Making a decision

To get DCTS we must be satisfied you or your household would suffer severe financial hardship if financial assistance were not given. Some of the things we will look at are:

• The reason you are applying for DCTS
• Your income and whether you have applied for any appropriate discount or exemption
• Whether you have access to any other financial assets that could be realised to pay the Council Tax
• Whether you have taken all reasonable steps to resolve the situation prior to application

We will write to you to let you know if your application has been successful and send you a revised Council Tax bill. If you are not awarded DCTS or if you disagree with the amount of help you have been awarded, you have the right to appeal. Details of how you can appeal will be contained in your decision notice.