Introduction
The District Councils and County Council will become one unitary authority on 1 April 2023. This means there will be one website you will use for making claims for benefit, reporting changes and anything else you usually go to your district website for.
From the beginning of April, when the websites become one, this page address www.somerset.gov.uk/benefits will take you to a new benefit section that covers all of Somerset.
You will be able to do everything you can do now on your district website on the new Somerset Council website.
Until then, please continue to use your district council website to find the information you need.
Council Tax Reduction
From 1 April 2023, Council Tax Reduction (also known as Council Tax Support) will become the responsibility of the new Somerset Council.
The new Council has agreed a new scheme for the whole of Somerset.
Council Tax support fund
The government has distributed £100 million of new grant funding in 2023/24 for Councils to support vulnerable households in their area with Council Tax bills.
We have used most of our funding allocation to reduce Council Tax bills for everyone getting Council Tax Reduction at new year billing by up to £25.
If you are getting Council Tax Reduction when we send you your bill for 2023/24, we will automatically apply the reduction on your bill – you don’t need to contact us.
We will use the remaining funding to further support vulnerable households with their Council Tax bills.