HOUSEHOLDERS in Richmondshire are being urged to have a say on a scheme which can give a council tax discount for working age people.

The district council is looking for views on its proposed amendments to the 2017/18 council tax reduction scheme.

However it would keep the maximum award under the scheme for the majority of working age people unchanged from the past 12 months at 85%.

The level of discount is designed to help people on low income – and around 1,120 people of working age across the district currently receive it, which is 49 per cent of the total number of claimants.

When Richmondshire introduced the scheme in April 2013 all claimants of working age had to pay a minimum of 8.5per cent of their council tax liability - equivalent to a 91.5 per cent reduction, and made possible because of funding from central government.

The council managed to retain the same level of reduction in 2014/15 and 2015/16 without direct funding from central government, but last year due to further reductions in funding it was forced to reduce the maximum award.

Stakeholders and residents can have a say at richmondshire.gov.uk/survey/ctrs

Hard copies are available from the council’s community offices. The consultation ends on October 14.