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Discounts

Discounts reduce the amount of your Council Tax bill.  A discount of 25%, 50% or even 100% can be awarded in certain cases. The basic Council Tax bill is based on the assumption that there are at least two adults living in a property. A discount is given if there are fewer than two residents. If you are the sole adult living in the property you will be entitled to a 25% reduction in your Council Tax. A property with no residents is entitled to a 50% reduction.

In addition, certain people are not counted when calculating the number of residents in a dwelling,  These are called 'disregarded persons'. If someone in your household falls into one of the specified classed listed you may be entitled to a discount.

The main categories are:

PEOPLE IN PRISON

This applies to prisoners who have been sentenced and those on remand.  It also applies if someone is detained in a hospital.

PEOPLE WHO ARE SEVERELY MENTALLY IMPAIRED

This applied where someone has a mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse efect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.  It includes people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other similar illnesses.  The person should be entitled to one of the following benefits:

  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Servere Disablement Allowance
  • Care component of DLA (higher or middle rate)
  • Increase in disablement pension for constant attendance
  • Disability Working Allowance
  • Unemployment supplement
  • Constant Attendance Allowance
  • Unemployability allowance
  • Income Support Disability premium

On receipt of a completed application form we will contact the doctor of the relevant person for confirmation.

18 AND 19 YEAR OLDS

This applies if someone in your household is 18 or 19 years old and in further education or child benefit is still in payment for them.  If they leave school after April in any year the discount will continue until 1st November in the same year.

STUDENTS

You qualify as a Student if:

  1. You are attending a university/college on a course which lasts for at least one academic year, takes at least 24 weeks a year and involves 21 hours of tuition/study per week.  Student nurses on Project 2000 courses and who are studying academic courses at universities are included in this category.
  2. You are under 20 years old and in further educatuion, studying for more than 3 months and at least 12 hours per week.  It does not include correspondence courses, evening classes or courses connected with a person's job such as day release.

STUDENT NURSES

This covers student nurses who are on a course leading to their first inclusion on the nursing register.  N.B.  Nurses who are already on the register but are taking further courses will not qualify for a discount.

APPRENTICES

You are classed as an apprentice if you are:

  1. employed to learn a job/trade and
  2. undertaking an approved program of training and
  3. receiving a salary/allowance substantially less than that of a qualified person and not more than £160 per week before tax.

YOUTH TRAINEES

This covers anyone under 25 years old who is receiving training in line with an approved training scheme.  It includes the following schemes:  Options, Future, Next Step.

HOSPITAL PATIENTS/PATIENTS IN NURSING HOMES/CARE HOMES

This refers to someone who is in hospital permanently i.e will not be returning to their home or who is a permanent resident in a residential care or nursing home receiving care or treatment.

CARERS

There are two categories of carer.

  • You will qualify if you live with someone and you provide care for that person for at least 35 hours per week and the person receives a specified allowance or disablement pension.  N.B.  You do not qualify if the person you are caring for is your husband, wife or partner, or your child if under 18 yrears of age.
  • You would also qualify as a carer if you are: employed as a care worker by a charitable organisation or public body, employed for at least 24 hours per week, receive payment of no more than £36 per week, and reside with the person for whom you are caring.

DISABLED RELIEF

Your Council Tax bill will be reduced if you qualify for disabled relief.  It can only be granted after an application has been made to the Council by the person responsible for paying the tax.

To be eligible for this reduction your dwelling must be the main home of at least one 'qualifying individual' i.e. someone who is 'substantially and permanently physically disabled'.  This includes a child under 18 years of age.

The PROPERTY must also satisfy certain conditions.

THE CONDITIONS

The nature and extent of the disability must make it essential, or of major importance for the well-being of the disabled person, for your home to have one of the following:

a.  A room other than a bathroom, kitchen or a toilet which is mainly used by the disabled person and is required for meeting the needs of that person; or

b.  A second bathroom or kitchen which is required for meeting the needs of the disabled person; or

c,  Extra space inside the property to allow for the use of a wheelchair.

When an application for disabled relief is received, the Council will have to be satisfied that at least one of the above conditions apply.  Generally this will involve inspecting the property.  In some cases, the Council may ask for an application for disabled relief to be validated by a doctor or other relevant professional person.

AMOUNT OF REDUCTION

When disabled relief is granted, your Council Tax is calculated as if your home is in the next lower valution band than is actually the case.

For example:

1.  If your home is in Band B, your bill will be based on the Band A Council Tax.

2.  If your home is in Band D, your bill will be based on the Band C Council Tax.

N.B.  If your home is in Band A you are already in the lowest Council Tax band.  You were not entitled to a reduction before 1st April 2000.  However, from that date a reduction is available if your home meets one of the qualifying conditions.  The amount of the reduction for a property in Band A is approximately 16 per cent.

NOTES

The rebanding of your home is for billing purposes only and will not alter the actual band in the Valuation List.

Only one reduction is allowed even if your home qualifies under more than one of the conditions.

Any discount due will be applied to your bill after the reduction for disabled relief.

Where you have reason to believe that you are no longer eligible for a reduction i.e. if the qualifying disabled person no longer lives in your home, you must notify the Council.

OTHER

Other classes of people who may qualify for a discount are:

  • Residents of hostels, night shelters
  • Members of religious communities whose main work is prayer, contemplation, education or relief of suffering.

Application forms for discounts are available from us by telephoning 01246 242400 or email revenues@bolsover.gov.uk or download an application below.

We may seek confirmation of your status and your eleigibility for a discount. It will also review your entitlement periodically.

Following the award of a discount you must notify us immediately if your situation alters and the circumstances giving rise to a discount change. 

Last Updated on Friday, 18 June 2010 13:25

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