Wakefield Council Tax Hardship Fund: How to Apply for Section 13A Relief

What the Hardship Fund Is

Wakefield Council set aside £200,000 for 2026/27 to help working-age residents facing exceptional financial hardship because of changes to the Council Tax Support scheme. This money sits under the Local Welfare Provision (LWP) scheme, funded through Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 — the same power that lets councils grant discretionary discounts.

This fund exists partly because the 2026/27 scheme tightened several rules simultaneously (the capital limit dropped from £16,000 to £6,000, and the non-dependant deduction rose from £5 to £7.50 per week). The £200,000 is a transitional safety net for residents caught by these changes.

Who Can Apply

The hardship fund is discretionary — there's no automatic entitlement. You'll need to demonstrate that:

• You're experiencing exceptional financial hardship
• Your current Council Tax Support award isn't sufficient to prevent hardship
• You've taken all reasonable steps to reduce your outgoings
• You've applied for all available statutory discounts and exemptions

In practice, the fund supports working-age residents facing exceptional hardship due to the scheme changes where their current CTS award is insufficient. If savings above £6,000 leave you with no CTS award, ask the council whether another form of help is available rather than assuming this fund applies.

Other Section 13A Discounts in Wakefield

The hardship fund isn't the only discretionary relief available. Wakefield also uses Section 13A powers to provide:

• Terminally ill discount: 100% Council Tax discount for residents with a medical prognosis of less than 12 months. This was introduced from April 2026 — a significant change that means eligible residents pay nothing.
• Care leavers discount: 100% discount for former care leavers living in Wakefield up to their 25th birthday.
• Foster carers discount: 70% discount for registered foster carers in the district.
• Domestic abuse relief: 100% discount on a second property when someone becomes liable after fleeing domestic abuse from their main home.

Each of these has different eligibility criteria, but they all use the same Section 13A legal mechanism.

How to Apply

Hardship relief applications go through Wakefield Council's Revenues and Benefits service. You'll need to provide:

• Details of your income and expenditure
• Evidence of the specific hardship (bank statements showing the shortfall, evidence of the circumstance that created the difficulty)
• Proof that you've applied for all other available discounts

To ask how to apply, contact Wakefield Council's Revenues and Benefits service through Customer Services on 0345 8 506 506.

Awards are temporary and short-term. They're not designed to be ongoing support — they bridge a specific period of acute difficulty.

The Difference Between CTS and Hardship Relief

Council Tax Support is a rules-based entitlement. If you meet the income and savings criteria, you qualify for a specific percentage discount — it's not discretionary.

Hardship relief under Section 13A is entirely at the council's discretion. You can be turned down even if you're genuinely struggling. The 2026/27 Local Welfare Provision fund supports cases where an existing CTS award is insufficient; being over the £6,000 savings limit is not a qualification by itself.

If you're refused, ask Wakefield Council about its reconsideration and complaint routes. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can consider complaints about maladministration or process.

The Wakefield Council Tax Reduction guide covers the hardship fund application process alongside the main CTS claim, with a checklist for documenting exceptional hardship and the other local discounts you should check first.

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