Council help for older residents as cost-of-living crisis worsens

Milton Keynes Council is reaching out to older residents with council tax help as the Conservative cost-of-living crisis worsens.

The Labour and Liberal Democrat administration is distributing £500,000 worth of additional support to help residents who are ineligible for the Government’s Council Tax Rebate scheme.

The Government’s scheme only provides support for households in Council Tax bands A to D, which means some residents may miss out on support despite having low or fixed incomes, including people on pension credit.

Milton Keynes Council’s discretionary rebate will help people who are ineligible for the Government’s original scheme, including many older residents in receipt of pension credit who receive a reduction on their Council Tax.

Councillor Rob Middleton, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “Older people in Milton Keynes are being hit by the highest inflation in 30 years, skyrocketing energy bills, and the increasing cost of their food shop. As a Council we’re able to help many of them with our discretionary rebate for council tax, but we can only do so much. The Conservative government has created the cost-of-living crisis, and they need to fix it.”

The scheme comes amidst news that prices are rising twice as fast as state pensions.

Councillor Jane Carr, Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequalities and Child Poverty, added: “While our Prime Minister and Chancellor are distracted by party-gate and being fined by the Police, people are going hungry. More and more people in Milton Keynes are reliant on food banks and community larders to eat. They deserve a Chancellor who is honest, and whose attention is on them during the cost-of-living crisis.”