Labour's Angela Rayner evades questions on scrapping council tax discount for single residents
manchestereveningnews.co.ukBereaved pensioners could be hit with a fresh financial blow as Labour has not dismissed the possibility of removing the single person council tax discount.
Council chiefs are seeking the authority to decide whether to apply the 25% bill reduction locally. However, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner sidestepped queries on whether she would acquiesce to their requests and axe the discount that could be worth up several hundred pounds a year.
Campaign group Silver Voices expressed concern over the possibility of scrapping the discount, with director Dennis Reed commenting: "The single person discount helps many widows and widowers." He added that the recent winter fuel allowance reductions were unexpected and harsh, stating: "They are already going to be struggling after the winter fuel allowance cuts, which came out of the blue and are cruel as well as crude." Reed also noted: "The punishment for older people is adding up by the day." READ MORE: State Pension increase of £517 could push millions of pensioners into tax next April Shadow housing minister David Simmonds accused Labour of covertly planning to raise council tax, saying: "This is further proof of Labour's plans to hike council tax bills by the back door, "reports the Express.
He warned that abolishing the discount would unfairly pressure not only bereaved spouses but all single residents, including single parents.
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