Somerset residents on low incomes are being asked to have their say on possible changes to Council Tax Reduction — and this is one consultation where the detail really does matter.

The review affects working-age adults who receive help with their council tax bills. Pensioners are not affected, because their support is set under a national scheme, but working-age households could see changes from 1 April 2027.

Council Tax Reduction is the local scheme that helps eligible people pay less council tax. For households already dealing with rent, food, energy and travel costs, it can be the difference between a bill that is manageable and one that is not.

What is being reviewed?

Somerset Council agreed its Council Tax Reduction scheme for 2026/27 in December 2025 and committed to a wider review of who receives support, how much they get and how the scheme could give more help to the most vulnerable residents.

The difficult bit is that the council says the overall cost of the scheme cannot increase. That means any extra help in one part of the system may have to be paid for by reducing support somewhere else.

There are currently 28,569 council taxpayers in Somerset receiving Council Tax Reduction. The scheme costs Somerset Council just over £31 million a year, based on current council tax levels.

What could change?

The consultation includes a series of options for the 2027/28 scheme. Some are designed to protect or increase support for particular groups, while others would reduce or restrict support to keep the total cost down.

The proposals include:

• Ignoring an amount equivalent to the lower rate of Limited Capability for Work Related Activity, currently £217.26 a month, when calculating income for people who receive the LCW or LCWRA element in Universal Credit.
• Ignoring Transitional Protection elements of Universal Credit as income.
• Removing the £25-a-week earnings disregard when calculating income.
• Removing the £30-a-week income disregard where the claimant's home includes someone who is disabled.
• Increasing the standard non-dependant deduction from £10 to £15 a week, with exemptions for certain households.
• Reducing the level of support for all working-age applicants.
• Restricting support to Band B council tax levels.
• Introducing a minimum weekly award level of £5.
• Introducing additional income bands for families with three or more children.

In plain English, the council is looking at who should be protected, how income should be counted, and whether some households should receive less help so others can receive more. That is why this is not just another council consultation to ignore until the deadline has quietly passed.

Who should pay attention?

The consultation is most important for working-age people in Somerset who currently receive Council Tax Reduction, or who may need to apply for it in future. It is also relevant to carers, advice workers, housing providers, food banks, charities, parish councillors and anyone supporting residents on low incomes.

Some parts of the scheme would stay the same. Somerset Council says people with capital of more than £6,000 would still not receive a discount, while capital below £6,000 would continue to be ignored.

War pensioners would continue to be protected, with War Pensions or War Disablement Pensions disregarded in full. The council also says an Exceptional Hardship scheme would remain for people who need extra help, including those whose support may be reduced by any changes.

Why you need to be involved

The council has not made a final decision yet. Responses to the consultation will be considered before councillors decide later this year, with any approved changes due to take effect from 1 April 2027.

That matters because once the scheme is agreed, it will shape real household bills across Somerset. People who do not respond may still be affected by the outcome, especially if support is reduced, capped or calculated differently.

This is also one of those decisions where lived experience matters. A spreadsheet can show what a £5, £10 or £15 weekly change looks like on paper, but it cannot explain what that means in a household already choosing which bill gets paid first.

Residents can read the full proposals and take part through the Somerset Council Tax Reduction consultation. The consultation closes on 28 September.

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