Newcastle Council Tax Hardship Fund Section 13A

Council Tax Support in Newcastle can cover up to 100% of your bill if your income is low enough. But if you are on the edge — your income puts you in a band that leaves a significant amount to pay and you genuinely cannot afford it — there is a separate discretionary fund the council runs under Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

What the Hardship Fund Is

This is a short-term, discretionary reduction that Newcastle City Council can grant to individual council tax accounts experiencing severe, exceptional hardship. It sits outside the main CTS scheme and is decided case by case.

The key word is "exceptional." This fund is not a routine top-up. It exists for situations where something outside your control has created a financial crisis that the standard scheme does not fully address.

Who Can Apply

Before the council will consider a hardship application, you must have:

1. Already applied for all standard discounts, exemptions, and Council Tax Support you might be entitled to
2. Experienced a hardship that qualifies as exceptional — examples include sudden income loss from a natural disaster, a domestic crisis, or an extreme temporary financial emergency
3. Demonstrated that after a thorough review of your income and expenditure, you genuinely cannot meet the remaining liability

The relief is capped at the annual Band D council tax charge for that year (£2,540.66 in 2026/27).

What Will Not Qualify

The council will not use the hardship fund to:

• Clear arrears caused by wilful refusal to pay or culpable neglect
• Stop formal enforcement proceedings that are already underway
• Provide ongoing, long-term reductions (it is designed for short-term crises)

If your problem is not a temporary crisis but a sustained inability to pay, the standard CTS scheme is the right route. If you are already in the enforcement process with liability orders or bailiff action, contact a free debt advice service — Citizens Advice Newcastle (0808 278 7823), StepChange (0800 138 1111), or National Debtline (0808 808 4000) — before applying.

How to Apply

Submit a written application to the Revenues, Benefits and Exchequer Service Manager at Newcastle City Council. Your application needs to include:

• A detailed income and expenditure breakdown showing every source of household income and every essential outgoing
• An explanation of the exceptional circumstances causing the hardship
• Supporting documentation — medical evidence, redundancy letters, crisis intervention records, or whatever applies to your situation
• Confirmation that you have already claimed all available discounts and CTS

Submit a written application covering these points to the Revenues, Benefits and Exchequer Service Manager.

After You Apply

The council reviews your application and decides at its discretion. There is no automatic right to hardship relief. If you disagree with the decision, submit a written grievance under Section 16 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. If the council rejects it or does not respond within two months, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England within two months of the council's decision or, if it does not respond, within four months of submitting your grievance.

For a structured application framework covering the income-and-expenditure layout, what to include in your hardship statement, and how this interacts with your existing CTS award, the Newcastle Council Tax Reduction guide includes a dedicated chapter on Section 13A applications.

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