Mike Hedges AM Welcomes news that Wales leads the way in helping most vulnerable access crucial council tax discount

Mike Hedges AM Welcomes news that Wales leads the way in helping most vulnerable access crucial council tax discount

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans and MoneySavingExpert.com’s Martin Lewis will today join forces to launch a standard application procedure for council tax support in Wales for people with a severe mental impairment.

Swansea East AM, Mike Hedges AM said….. ‘This is a very helpful development for people with a diagnosis of severe mental impairment. It has been difficult for people to navigate through long and complicated forms, with each local authority having their own forms and level of support. This new standard process will simply applying for support for people with the relevant diagnosis and will enable that people with the same condition will be treated the same right across Wales. I hope that this new standardised approach to both application process and level of support will lead the way to other conditions having standardised application process. I would urge anyone who feels they may benefit to contact Swansea Council.’

Developed with MoneySavingExpert.com – the UK’s biggest consumer website – and local authorities, this new approach puts Wales at the forefront of steps to make council tax fairer.

For the first time, people who have received a severely mentally impaired (SMI) diagnosis and meet the eligibility criteria will be treated consistently throughout Wales to ensure they receive the same support and discounts no matter where they live. They will also be able to claim back any council tax discounts, to the point when they were diagnosed.

To access this support the Welsh Government, MoneySavingExpert.com and Welsh local authorities, have developed a single, simple and easy-to-use form, which people with SMI can use to claim what they are entitled to. The form is now widely available in all local authorities and advice centres across Wales.