Council Tax reduction in Scotland: July to September 2018

Quarterly statistics on the CTR scheme. The report shows the number of recipients and weekly income foregone by local authorities.

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Council Tax Reduction in Scotland, July to September 2018

This publication provides statistics on the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme, which reduces the Council Tax liability of low income households in Scotland. A CTR 'recipient' can be a single person or a couple, with or without children, since Council Tax is charged on a per-dwelling basis, rather than to individuals.

The statistics are based on data extracts from local authorities, and cover the time period July to September 2018.

Key Points

  • There were 481,100 CTR recipients in September 2018.
  • The total weekly income foregone by local authorities on CTR in September 2018 was £6.5 million.
  • There were 71,280 fewer CTR recipients in September 2018 than at the beginning of the scheme in April 2013. This is a decline of 12.9 per cent. The fall in recipients is gradual, but Council Tax reforms and increases in April 2017 and further increases in 2018 resulted in increases in the total weekly CTR awarded.

Chart 1: CTR recipients and Income Foregone, April 2013 to September 2018

Chart 1: CTR recipients and Income Foregone, April 2013 to September 2018

The number of CTR recipients for each local authority in July to September 2018 is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: CTR Recipients by Local Authority, July to September 2018 1, 2

Jul-18 Aug-18 Sep-18
Scotland 483,250 485,310 481,100
Aberdeen City 14,150 14,160 14,110
Aberdeenshire 11,370 11,340 11,390
Angus 8,790 8,750 8,810
Argyll and Bute 6,760 6,770 6,750
Clackmannanshire 4,970 5,050 5,010
Dumfries and Galloway 13,350 13,380 13,250
Dundee City 17,900 17,980 17,880
East Ayrshire 13,170 13,210 13,170
East Dunbartonshire 5,270 5,230 5,200
East Lothian 6,940 6,950 6,910
East Renfrewshire 4,470 4,480 4,410
Edinburgh, City of 34,180 33,940 33,700
Eilean Siar 2,190 2,190 2,200
Falkirk 13,200 13,240 13,220
Fife 32,110 32,150 31,960
Glasgow City 89,160 89,480 88,790
Highland 17,420 18,580 17,240
Inverclyde 9,860 9,850 9,780
Midlothian 6,490 6,520 6,510
Moray 5,770 5,750 5,730
North Ayrshire 17,090 17,170 17,080
North Lanarkshire 36,440 36,790 36,480
Orkney Islands 1,190 1,200 1,190
Perth and Kinross 8,740 8,790 8,720
Renfrewshire 18,240 18,300 18,150
Scottish Borders 8,450 8,400 8,280
Shetland Islands 1,050 1,050 1,050
South Ayrshire 11,110 11,110 11,020
South Lanarkshire 30,630 30,640 30,400
Stirling 5,570 5,600 5,590
West Dunbartonshire 12,310 12,340 12,230
West Lothian 14,910 14,930 14,900

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. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Components may not sum to total due to rounding.

Chart 2 shows the number of CTR recipients by local authority for September 2018 in descending order, with the cumulative total of recipients represented by the line. It can be seen that the five local authorities with the highest numbers of CTR recipients accounted for almost half (46 per cent) of the total for Scotland in September 2018. The five local authorities are

  • Glasgow City with over 18 per cent (88,790) of the total;
  • North Lanarkshire, accounting for 8 per cent (36,480 recipients);
  • Edinburgh City and Fife, with 7 per cent (33,700 and 31,960 recipients respectively); and
  • South Lanarkshire, 6 per cent each (30,400 recipients).

Chart 2: CTR recipients by Local Authority, September 2018.

Chart 2: CTR recipients by Local Authority, September 2018.

The total weekly income foregone for each local authority in July, August and September 2018 is shown in Table 2. The total for Scotland was £6.5 million in September 2018.

Table 2: Weekly Income Foregone by Local Authority, July to September 2018.1,2,3

Jul-18 Aug-18 Sep-18
Scotland 6,540.4 6,565.7 6,510.7
Aberdeen City 195.6 195.4 195.2
Aberdeenshire 154.1 153.9 154.7
Angus 105.1 105.0 105.4
Argyll and Bute 102.4 102.5 102.1
Clackmannanshire 65.0 66.0 65.6
Dumfries and Galloway 169.0 169.0 167.8
Dundee City 236.1 236.7 235.3
East Ayrshire 172.9 173.5 172.8
East Dunbartonshire 84.3 83.6 83.6
East Lothian 96.4 96.5 96.2
East Renfrewshire 71.4 71.4 70.3
Edinburgh, City of 492.5 489.8 486.7
Eilean Siar 26.1 26.0 26.0
Falkirk 157.6 158.1 157.8
Fife 408.5 409.3 406.3
Glasgow City 1,324.0 1,327.9 1,319.2
Highland 240.6 255.8 236.3
Inverclyde 126.4 126.4 125.5
Midlothian 96.9 97.2 96.8
Moray 74.2 73.9 73.5
North Ayrshire 224.7 225.5 224.5
North Lanarkshire 442.3 446.1 442.5
Orkney Islands 14.5 14.6 14.6
Perth and Kinross 122.8 123.6 122.7
Renfrewshire 245.0 245.9 244.2
Scottish Borders 103.9 103.3 101.9
Shetland Islands 12.8 12.9 13.0
South Ayrshire 159.7 159.7 159.0
South Lanarkshire 380.8 380.7 376.9
Stirling 78.4 78.7 79.0
West Dunbartonshire 170.1 170.4 169.1
West Lothian 186.4 186.5 186.3

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.

Contact

Email: Robin Bennie

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