Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 27th April 2023

The Government requires each council to have a council tax support scheme in place under which low income pensioners receive council tax discounts of up to 100%.

The paying of tax is a necessary part of society – one that ensures that the state can support the most vulnerable, educate our children, support our health service, and look after those who have worked for a lifetime. Our aspiration as a Government is to keep tax as low as possible – but we do acknowledge its necessity.

Pensions acknowledge the important contribution that older people have made to our country for many decades. At the same time, pensioners still use many of the services provided by local authorities – from bin collection, to highways, to, in some circumstances, adult social care. We believe it reasonable that those who can pay do so for these services, as part of the social contract that binds our society together.

Council tax support is available for households in financial hardship, and for low income pensioners a discount of up to 100% discount is available. A 100% reduction is provided for all households that receive pension guarantee credit.

Since 2010, the Government’s commitment to the triple lock has ensured that the state pension rises annually in line with earnings, prices, or 2.5%, whichever is the highest. As a result, the New State Pension is over £10,000 per year, and the Basic State Pension is over £3,000 higher per year than in 2010.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities