Question mark over council tax bills in Sunderland amid coronavirus crisis

Households will have to wait to find out what help could be available to help them pay their council tax bills.
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The government has set up a ‘hardship fund’ worth £500million as part of its response to the Coronavirus outbreak and which it says will be available to families struggling to keep up with the charges.

But almost two weeks since the measure was announced in the Chancellor’s budget on March 11, English councils are still waiting on details of whether this cash could be used to give homes a break from payments.

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“The Government holds all the legal powers on this matter,” said Graeme Miller, the leader of Sunderland City Council.

Picture by PAPicture by PA
Picture by PA

“If it were to do this then it must commit to reimbursing all councils.”

The government has previously said it expects its latest package of hardship funding to be passed on to households ‘either through existing Council Tax Support schemes or through similar measures’.

Various scheme to offer discounts or exemptions from bills are already offered by councils, but vary between local authority areas.

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On Wearside, families can already qualify for payment reductions or see them waived entirely if they are disabled or carers, among other criteria.

The city council also offers a ‘discretionary relief’ under which bills can be reduced due to ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Stephen O’Brien called for a six-month council tax ‘holiday’ to stop people falling into debt.

He said: “Many families face really uncertain times ahead, especially those who run their own business, who are self-employed, or who are zero-hours contracts.

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“For a lot of people, council tax bills are a huge dent in the money they have available to keep a roof over their heads and keep their families fed.”

Coun O’Brien added this should be funded by government so councils are not left short due to lost revenue.

Council chiefs have urged the public to watch for updates as the ‘information is changing daily’.

Across the border at Durham County Council, which already runs a council tax reduction scheme offering discounts of up to 100%, chiefs have promised to suspend debt recovery action against anyone owing unpaid council tax or business rates during the COVID-19 outbreak.