Stockport Council Tax Hardship Fund: Section 13A Explained

When Stockport's standard Council Tax Support scheme can't help — maybe your capital is just over £8,000, or the Band A cap leaves a gap you genuinely can't afford — the council has a separate discretionary power to reduce your bill. It sits under Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and locally it's called the Discretionary Hardship Policy.

This isn't an automatic entitlement. It's a case-by-case decision by the council, and the application process has a tight evidence deadline that most people don't know about.

What the Hardship Fund Covers

The Section 13A(1)(c) power lets Stockport Council reduce or write off Council Tax for individual taxpayers in exceptional financial hardship. Common qualifying circumstances include:

• Severe financial hardship where you can demonstrate that paying the remaining Council Tax would cause genuine distress — not just inconvenience, but real inability to meet basic living costs
• Empty property charges causing hardship — if Stockport's local empty property charges are causing you financial hardship
• Unexpected over-awards — if the council accidentally gave you too much Council Tax Support and is now clawing it back, creating a sudden bill you weren't expecting

The fund is separate from the main Council Tax Support scheme. You can apply even if you've been refused standard support (for instance, because your savings exceeded £8,000) as long as you can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.

The 2-Week Evidence Deadline

This is where applications fail. After submitting your online hardship application (through the council's "financial support in a crisis" pages on stockport.gov.uk), you have exactly 2 weeks to provide:

1. The last 2 consecutive months of bank statements for every account — current, savings, ISAs, joint accounts
2. A complete income and expenditure schedule — what comes in each month, what goes out, and why there's a shortfall
3. Any supporting documentation explaining your exceptional circumstances

Evidence can be uploaded online or emailed to [email protected].

If you do not provide the required documents within 2 weeks, the application will be refused. Gather your documents before you submit the form.

You Must Keep Paying

While your hardship application is being assessed, you're still required to make regular Council Tax payments. Applying for hardship relief doesn't pause your instalments or freeze any enforcement action. If you stop paying while waiting for a decision, the council's recovery process continues in parallel.

This creates a difficult situation for people in genuine hardship, but the rule exists because the hardship fund receives many applications and most take several weeks to assess. Continuing payments (even partial ones) demonstrates good faith and strengthens your case.

What Happens After a Decision

If the council grants relief, the amount is credited to your Council Tax account and your remaining instalments are recalculated downward. The council decides the terms of any discretionary award.

If the council refuses, you can request a review by writing to the council and explaining why you think the decision was wrong. If the council upholds the refusal, or does not respond within 2 months, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England. The Tribunal can consider decisions on Section 13A(1)(c) hardship reductions.

When to Use Hardship Instead of Standard Support

The hardship route is worth pursuing when:

• Your savings are just above £8,000 (standard support has a hard cutoff, but hardship is discretionary)
• The Band A cap leaves you with a residual bill you genuinely can't pay
• You've had an over-award clawback that created an unexpected debt
• A sudden crisis (job loss, bereavement, health emergency) has left you unable to pay

If you're below the £8,000 capital limit and your income qualifies, apply for standard Council Tax Support first — it's an entitlement, not discretionary, and you'll get a decision faster.

The Stockport Council Tax Reduction guide covers both routes, including a hardship application checklist and the evidence framework the council uses to assess exceptional circumstances.

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