Merton Labour Lifts Thousands Out of Council Tax

From April 2025, Labour run-Merton Council will continue to have one of the country’s most generous Council Tax Support schemes, providing targeted support to the borough’s least well-off households with the cost of living.

The scheme will mean that thousands of households won’t have to pay Council Tax at all or will pay a reduced amount.

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition government abolished the nationally funded Council Tax Benefit scheme in 2013, pushing the funding expectation onto local Councils, whilst at the same time cutting funding. 

However, Labour-run Merton Council has been one of the few councils to absorb the cost of keeping the scheme the same, rather than removing support from some low-income households.

With local authorities having to cut their budgets since 2010, fewer and fewer councils have been able to maintain the same level of support, but Merton is now in its 13th year of ensuring that no household loses eligibility for CTS as a result of government cuts.

Councillor Billy Christie, Cabinet Member for Finance, said:

“If you were to ask me what the one thing that Merton Labour is doing for Merton’s residents that makes me most proud, it would be our Council Tax Support Scheme.

Protecting the pound in the pockets of local residents, especially the least well off, is a top priority for this administration. That’s why we have maintained the highest level of Council Tax Support, even after the previous government reduced the funding.

In all our spending decisions, we look to squeeze every bit of value out of taxpayer’s money, and there is no doubt in my mind that spending this money to provide a lifeline for around 10,000 hardworking Merton families is a worthwhile investment.”