Haringey Council has launched a new Council Tax Hardship Fund to provide financial assistance to residents struggling to pay their council tax bills.

The policy, approved by Councillor Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality, on Wednesday 10 December 2025, aims to support residents facing financial hardship due to the rising cost of living. A report in the Public Reports Pack stated that the rising cost of living has placed many Haringey residents under financial strain, affecting council tax collection rates.

The fund, with an initial allocation of £66,000, will provide targeted support to those most in need. Awards will be considered through a shared application form with the Haringey Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payment, where a single application will be considered for all. The council may also use data insights to make proactive awards to residents identified as meeting the entitlement conditions. Trusted third parties may also be trained to decide applications for their Service Users.

The policy complements the existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) and the council's statutory requirement to provide a Council Tax Section 13A hardship provision.

To be eligible for the fund, residents must meet certain criteria, including:

  • Receiving benefits such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Support.
  • Having a weekly income of less than £500 for a family or £350 for an individual.
  • Experiencing a life crisis that has impacted their ability to pay Council Tax.
  • Facing difficulty paying their remaining Council Tax liability.
  • Experiencing exceptional hardship.

Awards will be credited directly to council tax accounts and may not cover the full shortfall. The council will consider factors such as the shortfall between council tax liability and any support received, personal and household circumstances, whether the household could access any statutory support to maximise their income, income and expenditure analysis, engagement with welfare advice services, and the duration and severity of hardship to ensure that the fund is distributed fairly and efficiently, and that those most in need are prioritised.

The Director of Finance stated that there were no risks envisaged to the council on establishing the policy and administering the Council Tax Hardship Fund. The Head of Legal & Governance noted that the grant funding was made pursuant to s31 Local Government Act 2003, and that the authority must ensure that the grant funding conditions are met. The Equalities officer noted that no protected groups are negatively impacted by this policy change, and those with a low socioeconomic status are positively impacted.

The policy will be reviewed annually, with any changes made by the Corporate Director for Environment and Resident Experience in consultation with Councillor Chandwani.