Council tax exemptions for the poorest people in Bristol will continue for another year.
The city’s ruling Labour administration has agreed to keep its council tax reduction scheme intact and unchanged in 2020/21.
People who aren’t in work or do not earn above a minimum threshold in Bristol - based on income and benefit allowances – do not have to pay council tax under the scheme.
Bristol City Council cabinet chose to make no changes to the scheme rather than to simplify its administration to dovetail with Universal Credit at a meeting on June 18.
One option - discarded at the outset and which would have required public consultation - would have seen people currently exempt from paying council tax having to pay up to 20 per cent of their bill.
Deputy mayor of finance, Craig Cheney, said: “By 2020, I think, current estimates are that local authority funding will have been reduced by 77 per cent.
“Despite all of that, we have managed in Bristol to maintain a fully funded council tax reduction scheme which supports 35,000 or so of the poorest citizens in the city.
“I’m really pleased and proud that we’re continuing to fully fund this and I’m looking forward to doing so for another year.”
Bristol is the only major city to provide a fully funded council tax reduction scheme, a council spokesman said.
Deputy mayor for communities Asher Craig said: “A lot of my friends can barely rub two pennies together and I know many of them rely on the council tax reduction scheme, so I know that they are truly grateful to us.”
The council tax reduction scheme is estimated to cost £41.4million in 2019/20 and £42.2million in 2020/21, according to cabinet papers.
Green councillor for Clifton Down, Clive Stevens, said the council would need to change the way the scheme was administered so that it fits in with Universal Credit.
Cllr Cheney agreed, adding that the council was beginning to look at possible ways to do that.
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