Closed petition Require councils to suspend council tax payments during the coronavirus outbreak
During the coronavirus outbreak it is important that people have money for essentials such as utilities and food. The Government should require councils to suspend council tax payments, and directly fund local government operations, for the duration of the outbreak.
This topic was debated on 17 September 2020
The Government is providing comprehensive support to individuals and households impacted by Covid-19, including a £500 million hardship fund for those in receipt of working age council tax support.
The Covid-19 outbreak has far-reaching consequences beyond public health. The Government has therefore put in place an unprecedented package of support for individuals and households affected by the outbreak.
The assistance that the Government is providing is targeted to protect those most at financial risk due to the impact of Covid-19 on the economy. It includes a wide range of support mechanisms to protect people's incomes during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme helps firms to continue to keep people in employment through cash grants totalling 80% of employees' wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500. The scheme will be open initially for at least 3 months and will be extended for longer if necessary. Similar support is also being provided to those who are self-employed, or partners in businesses, through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. Those eligible for this scheme can be paid grants worth 80% of their trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
Protections have also been put in place for homeowners and renters experiencing financial difficulty due to COVID-19. Following discussions with the industry, mortgage lenders are offering a three-month payment holiday for affected homeowners and landlords whose tenants are experiencing payment difficulty. Through the Coronavirus Act 2020, we have legislated to delay when landlords are able to evict tenants. Landlords cannot start proceedings to evict tenants for a three month period and the court service has suspended all ongoing housing possession action for 90 days from 27 March.
To support those on low incomes through the outbreak, the Chancellor has also announced a package of temporary benefit measures. The Government has increased the standard allowance of Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit by £20 a week. There has also been an increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates for private renters claiming Universal Credit housing element or Housing Benefit so they are set at the 30th percentile of market rents. Self-employed workers whose income has been affected by Covid-19 will also see their Minimum Income Floors relaxed further, so that their Universal Credit award can be increased to reflect their lower earnings.
The Government has also moved rapidly to provide a £500 million hardship fund to local authorities in England. Our expectation is that local authorities will use the majority of this fund to provide council tax reductions to economically vulnerable people and households, with a focus on working age recipients of Council Tax Support.
Many councils are also applying local level discretion in their approach to council tax collection, including the opportunity for individuals to set up flexible payment plans and suspension of enforcement action. Individuals whose income has been affected by Covid-19 can check their eligibility for Local Council Tax Support schemes or flexible approaches to payment by getting in touch with their councils.
People who can afford to pay council tax should continue to do so to ensure that services, including social care for the elderly, can continue to be provided in these unprecedented times. The Government does not consider that a general council tax holiday would be appropriate.
For more information about measures to support individuals and businesses affected by Covid-19, please see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-those-affected-by-covid-19 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses.
And for information on measures and guidance for local government, please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-government#local-government.
Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government
Petitions Committee questions Government on its response to coronavirus
Last week the Petitions Committee put some of the most popular questions from the public about coronavirus to the Government Minister for Schools, the Minister for Disabled People and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. These included:
How long will schools be closed for and what will the impact be on exams and grades?
What financial support will be available for the self-employed?
What financial support will be offered to people who are unable to pay their rent or bills due to self-isolation or loss of work?
What support will be offered to the events, creative and hospitality industries now that pubs, clubs and cultural venues have been closed?
What clear, practical steps can people take to make sure they are following Government guidance on social distancing, household isolation and self-isolation?
Who is being tested and why, and will tests be made freely available to everyone?
What is the Government doing to ensure that everyone is getting the right information?
Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aPLXJcZEfi8
Read the transcript: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/publications/written-evidence/
Because of the large number of petitions that we continue to receive on coronavirus we have sent more questions to the Government to answer.
Read our letters to different Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Some of the questions we've asked include:
When will testing capacity will be increased; who will testing be available for and will it be free?
What is being done to tackle the spread of disinformation?
How quickly will support for self-employed people be made available?
What will happen to the school year? Will summer holidays be cancelled so that children can catch up?
How are foodbanks being supported to continue operating during the outbreak?
What is being done to address panic buying and prevent price hikes of key items?
Will trains, buses and flights continue to operate? For how long?
We'll email you again to let you know when we get a response to these questions, and to let you know about any more action the Committee takes.
We are the House of Commons Petitions Committee. We are a cross-party group of MPs that looks at e-petitions submitted on petition.parliament.uk. We are independent from Government. You can find out more about us and our work on our website.
You can follow the Petitions Committee on Twitter: @HoCpetitions.
You can read impartial House of Commons Library information about coronavirus here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
E-petition session on support for households during COVID-19
On Thursday 17 September the Petitions Committee will hold a hybrid e-petitions session to discuss petitions relating to supporting households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 347,000 petitioners have now signed parliamentary petitions relating to supporting households through the coronavirus crisis, as the Government continues to adapt the support system being offered across the country. The session will allow MPs to discuss these petitions, including:
• Implement Universal Basic Income to give home & food security through Covid19: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/302284
• Encourage lenders, landlords and utilities to freeze payments during lockdown: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/302256
• Require councils to suspend council tax payments during the coronavirus outbreak: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/303274
Ministers from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and Treasury will be attending to respond to the debate.
This session has been scheduled because sittings in Westminster Hall (where e-petitions are normally debated) are still suspended as part of Parliament's arrangements for adapting to the Coronavirus outbreak. This session will be held in one of Parliament's committee rooms, with the option of MPs participating via video-link, giving them the opportunity to debate and question Government Ministers on the issues being raised by petitioners.
Watch live from 2.30pm on Thursday 17 September: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/680ac921-0f35-4295-ae1c-76aea7b4b007
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/119010/mps-to-present-concerns-to-ministers-on-support-for-households-during-covid19/
Follow the Petitions Committee on Twitter @HOCpetitions: https://twitter.com/HoCpetitions