London Borough of Richmond is to consult on moves to completely exempt its poorest residents from council tax payments. Currently, the most financially disadvantaged residents in the borough have to contribute a minimum of 15% towards their council tax.
However, a meeting of the council’s cabinet said it would consult on changes to the council tax reduction scheme.
Robin Brown, Richmond Council cabinet member for finance and performance, said: “We said in our manifesto that we would reverse the previous changes to the council tax reduction scheme and we are delivering on that commitment. Putting more pressure on financially vulnerable residents who already face genuine hardship isn’t fair.
Richmond’s move follows a similar proposal by London Borough of Haringey, although its proposal would not extend to financially disadvantaged residents without children.
