A consultation has been launched into the future of council tax support in South Holland.
A total of £4,110,223 discount on council tax is provided to 5,363 cases in the district, the majority of which (57.8 per cent) are the elderly.
Lincolnshire County Council picks up 76.1 per cent of the costs, the Police and Crime Commissioner 13.4 per cent and South Holland District Council 10.5 per cent.
The latter is responsible for the council tax support scheme and has launched the consultation into how it will be run from 2019/20.
The biggest change is to move the authority’s own scheme to introduce a discount for care leavers, which began at the start of this financial year, into the council tax support scheme.
A report to the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, September 11 said no applications for the discount had been made as of July 2018.
By making it part of the council tax scheme the authorities would split the costs and it could provide up to 100 per cent discount for 18 to 21-year-olds who have just left care as identified by the county council and Barnardo’s Leaving Care Service.
Councillor Peter Coupland, district council portfolio holder for finance, said: “The introduction of a discount for care leavers would be a positive move to further demonstrate South Holland’s support for developing a culture of corporate parenting.
“We have a moral obligation to provide as much support as they can to help these young people, and this would provide a huge help to those impacted by it.”
Residents can feedback on the scheme at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CouncilTaxSupportConsultation
A limited number of printed surveys are available from the council’s Priory Road office in Spalding.
The consultation runs until 5pm on Friday, November 2.
