Discretionary Council Tax Reduction Scheme award decision

Whilst waiting for a decision on your Discretionary Council Tax Reduction Scheme application, you should:

• continue to make council tax payments
• tell us about any changes of circumstance
• tell us about any other benefit or reduction you've been awarded, which wasn't included in your application

What circumstances we consider

We consider your circumstances, as well as those of your partner and other members of your household when making a decision, including:

• personal circumstances
• income and expenditure
• finances, such as any savings or capital which could be used to pay your council tax
• circumstances and finances of all liable parties and their households (for those with joint liability)
• whether your expenditure includes avoidable expenses which may be considered luxuries or lifestyle choices, which could be reduced to enable you to pay your council tax
• whether you could make any payments other than by receiving a discretionary award - for example, by statutory discount (such as a Single Occupancy Discount), an alternative payment arrangement, or through other financial assistance
• whether you have been negatively affected by the Council Tax Support Tolerance Scheme

Part 2 of the Discretionary Reduction Scheme

We'll also consider eligibility for a reduction under part 2 of the Discretionary Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

This relates to cases where a number of householders meet common criteria, for example, where a specific natural disaster such as flooding has impacted a number of properties.

We'll award these reductions on a proactive basis without you needing to apply - however, you can still apply for this reduction if you wish.

Notification of our decision

The amount of reduction and how long we decide to make the award for are at our discretion.

When we've made a decision about your application, we'll send you:

• a decision letter confirming whether or not we've made an award
• a full statement outlining the reasons for our decision
• details of the factors we've taken into account when making our decision
• a new council tax bill

Disagreeing with a decision

You can ask us to reconsider if you disagree with our decision - however, you must:

• state the reasons why you disagree with our decision
• do this in writing within 1 month of our decision letter
• send your appeal by:
  • email to: benefits@york.gov.uk, or
  • letter to: DCTR Benefits Team, West Offices, Station Rise, York YO1 6GA

A senior manager will consider your appeal, and their decision is final. We'll notify you in writing of the outcome and the reasons for our decision.

You can appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal for England if you still wish to dispute our decision. If you need help to do this please contact a benefits advice service.

Also see

• Paying your bill
• Get benefits advice
• Help with council tax for your household
• Council tax arrears