Disability Relief

Residents who have a severe mental impairment, or who are substantially and permanently disabled, may be entitled to a reduction on their Council Tax bill.

Severe Mental Impairment Reduction

Someone is considered to be severely mentally impaired if they have a severe mental impairment of intelligence and social functioning which appears to be permanent.

To qualify, the applicant must be entitled to one of the following benefits:

• Incapacity Benefit
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• an unemployability supplement payable as an increase to disablement benefit
• an unemployability allowance payable with a war pension
• attendance allowance at the higher or lower rate
• constant attendance allowance at one of the four rates payable with disablement pension or war disablement pension
• the disability element of Working Tax Credit
• the care component of a disability living allowance
• Income Support where the applicable amount includes a disability premium
• employment and support allowance
• personal independence payment with the standard or enhanced daily living component
• Universal Credit including an element for limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity

Please note: the Council may contact the applicant's doctor for further information.

If you care for someone who you think is eligible for a reduction, complete our online application form.

Disability Reduction

Your Council Tax can be reduced if at least one person living in your home has a disability, and where your home has certain features that are essential to the disabled person.

The amount of reduction you can receive is worked out by your valuation band. If you are entitled to a reduction, your valuation band will be reduced to the amount payable for a home in the valuation band immediately below yours. For example, if your property is in a Band C, the reduction would be the equivalent of being in a Band B property.

If your home is already in Band A, you will still receive a discount.

Who is eligible for a disability reduction?

To be entitled to a disability reduction you must be substantially and permanently disabled and your home must have one of the following features:

• a room, but not a bathroom, a kitchen or a toilet, which is predominantly used by (whether for providing therapy or otherwise) and is required for meeting the needs of any qualifying individual resident in the dwelling
• a bathroom or kitchen which is not the only bathroom or kitchen within the dwelling and which is required for meeting the needs of any qualifying individual resident in the dwelling
• sufficient floor space to permit the use of a wheelchair required for meeting the needs of any qualifying individual resident in the dwelling

To qualify, the feature must be essential or of major importance to the disabled person’s wellbeing due to the nature of their disability.

We must consider, if this room was not available in the home, whether the disabled person would find it impossible or extremely difficult to live in the property, and whether their health issue or disability would be made more severe.

How to apply

To apply please complete our online application form.

What happens once I apply?

As part of the decision-making process, we normally visit the applicant's home. Please provide a contact telephone number so that we can get in touch with you to arrange the visit.

If we find that you qualify, we will send you a new bill showing your reduction and the amount left to pay. Until you get your new bill please keep paying your usual amount.