Council Tax Reduction in Scotland, 2015-2016

Recipients and weekly income foregone by local authorities for the Council Tax Reduction scheme in Scotland for 2015 and 2016.


3. Weekly Income Foregone Estimates

The total CTR weekly income foregone for Scotland was £6.4 million in March 2016. Local authority figures for January to March 2016 are given in Table 3.

Table 3: CTR weekly estimate of income foregone (£000's) by Local Authority, January to March 2016 1, 2, 3

  Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16
SCOTLAND 6,379.0 6,397.4 6,409.6
Aberdeen City 178.1 178.2 179.0
Aberdeenshire 140.1 140.5 142.0
Angus 99.3 99.9 100.1
Argyll and Bute 101.2 101.6 102.3
Clackmannanshire 65.4 66.4 66.6
Dumfries and Galloway 160.2 161.1 161.3
Dundee City 226.7 228.6 229.6
East Ayrshire 174.6 174.1 174.5
East Dunbartonshire 83.7 84.1 84.4
East Lothian 98.5 98.3 98.4
East Renfrewshire 68.4 68.7 68.8
Edinburgh, City of 482.5 484.1 484.7
Eilean Siar 27.4 27.2 27.3
Falkirk 156.8 154.4 154.8
Fife 380.7 383.8 385.5
Glasgow City 1,282.7 1,286.6 1,287.7
Highland 227.3 228.0 228.7
Inverclyde 123.4 124.2 124.3
Midlothian 95.2 95.8 96.3
Moray 70.6 70.7 71.7
North Ayrshire 219.0 219.7 218.7
North Lanarkshire 449.2 448.3 448.0
Orkney Islands 14.4 14.3 14.4
Perth and Kinross 122.3 123.5 124.9
Renfrewshire 241.7 243.1 243.7
Scottish Borders 102.6 104.0 103.3
Shetland Islands 12.0 12.0 12.2
South Ayrshire 156.7 156.6 156.1
South Lanarkshire 380.5 381.9 381.7
Stirling 81.0 80.9 80.3
West Dunbartonshire 172.2 172.4 172.9
West Lothian 184.8 184.6 185.6

Notes:

1 Recipients are as at monthly count date. See Methodology Notes, Section 2 for more details. Available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Local-Government-Finance/Methodology/Ctaxreductionmethod

2 Weekly income foregone estimates are based on 'number of recipients multiplied by average weekly reduction' for each local authority and benefit type for the given month.

3 Figures are rounded to the nearest £100. Components may not sum to total due to rounding.

 

3.1 Weekly income foregone over time

The total weekly income foregone estimates for Scotland have decreased from £7.1 million in April 2013 to £6.4 million in March 2016. Income forgone estimates have followed the same general pattern as the number of recipients, and all local authorities have seen a decrease in their weekly estimates since April 2013.

The number of CTR recipients and weekly income foregone are closely linked, with most of the change in income foregone being driven by changes in the number of recipients. Chart 8 shows the month-on-month percentage changes in the number of recipients and the weekly income foregone for April 2013 to March 2016.

Chart 8: Month-on-month percentage change in CTR recipients and weekly estimates of income forgone in Scotland, April 2013 to March 2016

Chart 8: Month-on-month percentage change in CTR recipients and weekly estimates of income forgone in Scotland, April 2013 to March 2016

Other factors that can affect the value of income foregone include Council Tax rates, age, structure of the population and household income. Chart 8 also shows small peaks in number of recipients and weekly income foregone at the beginning and middle of each calendar year, indicating a possible seasonal effect.

The weekly income foregone estimate for each local authority for each month between April 2015 and March 2016 are provided in the supplementary tables.

 

3.2 Average weekly awards by passported status

In March 2016, the average weekly award per CTR recipient was £12.70 per week. Average weekly award per recipient varied by both local authority and passported status; these figures are included in the supplementary tables.

Non-passported recipients who were in employment received the least on average per week at £10.20, compared to those on Income Support who received the most at £13.91. Passported income foregone will generally be higher as, by virtue of their income, these recipients will all be in receipt of full CTR. Chart 9 shows the average weekly award per recipient by passported status.

Chart 9: Average weekly award per recipient by passported status, March 2016

Chart 9: Average weekly award per recipient by passported status, March 2016

 

3.3 Average weekly awards by age and family type

Chart 10 shows the average weekly income foregone estimates by age group in March 2016. The 60-64 age band had the highest average weekly award at £13.31, and the under 25 age category had the lowest average weekly award at £11.87.

Chart 10: Average weekly award by age group, March 2016

Chart 10: Average weekly award by age group, March 2016

Chart 11 shows the average weekly award by family type in March 2016. Single adults with no child dependents received the lowest average weekly award at £12.04 compared to couples with child dependents who had the highest average weekly award at £16.01.

Chart 11: Average weekly award by family type, March 2016

Chart 11: Average weekly award by family type, March 2016

Contact

Email: Louise Cuthbertson

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