Council tax reduction ?

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Sweetie16
Sweetie16 Posts: 4 Newbie
in Disability money matters
Basically I suffered a bleed on my brain in 2015 which weakened my left side . I was then diagnosed with a brain tumour 6 weeks later which has been treated but is still there . I still manage to work part time but am in receipt of pip . My partner works full time . The bleed has left me with difficulty in seeing properly and the tumour has given me cognitive problems . We pay full council tax are we entitled to a discount due to my problems ?
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    Sorry to say that the answer is almost definitely no, hope things improve soon for you.
  • Sweetie16
    Sweetie16 Posts: 4 Newbie
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    Thanks for advice . I don’t even think my local council would not know about SMI reduction in all honesty . It’s just my surgeon has said that social functioning has dropped . Things with my health won’t improve but I’ll just get on with it 😉
  • gingertomantiques
    gingertomantiques Posts: 11 Forumite
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    gov.co uk
    council tax discounts for disabled people
    enter post code & follow link to your council as individual councils can vary

    The link will give you the criteria to be met, the easiest to meet is wheelchair space use,
    A room for your special needs is vague & open to interpretation,
    the others kitchen & bathroom require the room & a high cost

    Hope its useful
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
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    Council tax discounts for disability are still standardised across E,W and Scotland - as yet their not powers delegated to local authority to alter. A council cannot opt out of offering the discounts to residents.

    There are two discounts that may apply - the Disabled Band Reduction (which lowers the band by 1) and the Severely Mentally Impaired disregarded (which can give a 25% discount, 50% discount or exemption depending on the exact specifics of a person).
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • Dandytf
    Dandytf Posts: 4,819 Forumite
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    I receive council tax reduction.
    This year it;s better as 1st year was only part discount for rest of 2017toApril2018.
    E.g.
    From this years total bill.
    Council tax reduction is 66.62 2019 to2020
    It took a few docs to upload via local council website, though as a starter call your council tax helpline who can help get your claim started.
    I don't have my council criteria in front of me, though I also work part time and receive pip as I have m.s.
    Hope you call and request help as from what you describe you could get some reduction.
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  • Sweetie16
    Sweetie16 Posts: 4 Newbie
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    I spoke to my council last week and they still haven’t got around to even updating their info . For smi it states that you must be in receipt of higher rate DLA and no mention of PIP even though this replaced DLA . My doc has said that suffering a stroke which was as bad as mine people never do recover in the brain . They’ve told me to get the forms off my council and see what they can do . Does that mean that we’ve been entitled to this reduction since 2015 and have been paying full council tax and have been none the wiser ?
  • Dandytf
    Dandytf Posts: 4,819 Forumite
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    I don't know what smi is
    I do know that council tax reduction is calculated form claim date if all required doc's are received.
    It wasn't a refund for years offer, almost negligible difference.
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  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
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    Sweetie16 wrote: »
    I spoke to my council last week and they still haven’t got around to even updating their info . For smi it states that you must be in receipt of higher rate DLA and no mention of PIP even though this replaced DLA . My doc has said that suffering a stroke which was as bad as mine people never do recover in the brain . They’ve told me to get the forms off my council and see what they can do . Does that mean that we’ve been entitled to this reduction since 2015 and have been paying full council tax and have been none the wiser ?
    There are a whole range of qualifying benefit - if they state you have to be in receipt then they are incorrect (you just have to be 'entitled to' - although proving just entitlement is almost impossible). It may be backdated in certain circumstances.
    https://lgfa92.co.uk/council-tax-severely-mentally-impaired-smi/
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • kpwll
    kpwll Posts: 4,273 Forumite
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    We had a ground floor extension to enable me to have a wet-room and downstairs loo.
    Someone told me about the reduction so I phoned the council, explained my situation and asked. They sent a gentleman out to see exactly what we had done and he told me there and then that we were eligible for a discount (for disabled facilities) to a band lower than we were on.
    It wasn't backdated, but it was from the day/month I applied.
  • poppy12345
    poppy12345 Posts: 17,949 Forumite
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    Dandytf wrote: »
    I don't know what smi is


    Severely Mentally Impaired.
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