Renfrewshire Council to continue work with citizens advice to help people struggling to pay council tax
dailyrecord.co.ukRenfrewshire Council and the area's citizens advice bureau will continue to work together to support those who are struggling to pay council tax after a recent pilot ended.The local authority had collaborated with the bureau on a short-term project, which was funded through the Scottish Government, aimed at improving the journey of people in arrears or experiencing difficulty in making payments.
The pilot ran until the end of March but in a report to the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee on Wednesday it was confirmed the two organisations would continue to cooperate on the subject.The paper explained: "The pilot ran to the end of March 2024, however, due to the very short period of the pilot, allowing for only limited outcomes, the council and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) have agreed to continue to collaborate over the next year to develop supports and better information about these supports for those struggling to pay council tax, as well as working to encourage those who can pay to do so timeously and those who are not liable for council tax to claim their reductions or exemptions."The Fairer Renfrewshire Panel were consulted as part of the pilot and provided feedback in a number of areas, including the current processes for billing and payment, barriers to paying council tax, communications, including better letters, and supports for those struggling to pay."Feedback was provided to the corporate communications team, who have indicated they will work with the panel prior to council tax bills for 2024/25 being issued.
The first tangible outcome from the pilot has been the development of a leaflet by RCAB giving details of where to get advice on different aspects of council tax and outlining supports
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