Proposals to modernise and simplify the current Council Tax Support scheme are being considered by Dover District Council – and your views are sought.
Council Tax Support (CTS) helps people who cannot afford to pay their Council Tax. It assists people who qualify for the scheme with a discount, mainly based on the income of the household.
Each council must devise its own Council Tax Support scheme for working-age people, (people who have not yet reached state pension age).
DDC has now received responses from Kent County Council, Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue (the major preceptors) to its proposals to change the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and these responses can be found on our Council Tax Support pages.
DDC is therefore restarting its public consultation from today (8 December 2025) to 4 January 2026 so that if people, having read the responses from the major preceptors, now wish to respond (or respond again with different answers) they can do so. Previous responses will also count, so if you previously responded and your views are unchanged, you do not need to respond again.
The new scheme, for working-age people for 2026/2027, aims to maximise the support available to residents. It is estimated that the proposed changes would result in an additional £1m of Council Tax Support for people in Dover District.
The changes seek to bring the scheme in line with Universal Credit and would see eligible, working-age households able to claim up to 100% discount from their Council Tax payment. Under the existing scheme the maximum claim is up to 90%.
The consultation is open to all, however the council is writing directly to households in the district currently in receipt of CTS to inform them of the proposals and to encourage them to respond.
The proposals, background information and online survey are available on the DDC website. Printed copies of the survey can be made available upon request.
DDC Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Michael Nee said: “We are pleased to launch this consultation on a new Council Tax Support scheme. The current scheme needs updating, and we look forward to hearing people’s views. Under the new scheme, more than 86% of customers could receive a higher level of CTS compared to the current scheme, with over 4,300 customers receiving the maximum level of support.”
The deadline for comments is 4 January 2026. For more information, or to have your say, please see the DDC website at www.dover.gov.uk/consultations
Posted on 08 December 2025