Wigan Council Tax Hardship Fund: How to Apply for Section 13A Discretionary Reduction

What the Hardship Fund Actually Is

Wigan Council's "hardship fund" is officially called a Section 13A(1)(c) Discretionary Council Tax Reduction. It sits outside the main CTR scheme. Where CTR follows a formula — income minus applicable amounts, capped at 80% — the discretionary fund is exactly that: discretionary. The council decides each case individually, with no fixed formula or automatic entitlement.

The fund covers situations the standard scheme doesn't reach. The most common: you're already receiving the maximum 80% CTR but still can't pay the remaining 20%. Or you missed the claim window and can't get standard CTR backdated. Or an unexpected crisis — redundancy, domestic abuse, bereavement, sudden disability — has left you unable to meet your Council Tax liability.

The fund is paid from Wigan Council's own revenue, not central government. It is finite, and the council balances individual hardship against overall budget.

Who Should Apply

You can apply if:

• You're already receiving maximum CTR but cannot afford the 20% minimum payment
• You missed the CTR application deadline and need retrospective help (since Wigan doesn't backdate standard claims)
• You've experienced a sudden financial crisis — job loss, relationship breakdown, illness, or bereavement — that has made your Council Tax unmanageable
• You've been sanctioned on Universal Credit and the reduced income creates genuine hardship

You should have already applied for everything else first. The council expects you to be receiving any standard CTR, single person discount, disabled band reduction, or other discount you're entitled to before turning to the discretionary fund.

What Evidence You Need

Wigan Council requires substantial documentation for a Section 13A application:

Bank statements: Two full consecutive months for every account held by you and your partner. This includes current accounts, savings, ISAs, digital bank accounts, and joint accounts. The council scrutinises your spending to verify genuine hardship — they're looking at whether your outgoings are essential or discretionary.

Income and expenditure breakdown: A detailed statement showing your household income (benefits, wages, any other sources) against your essential living costs (rent, food, utilities, transport, medication). The council needs to see that your necessary expenses exceed your income — that there is a genuine shortfall, not a spending choice.

Crisis documentation: If the hardship stems from a specific event, provide supporting evidence. Medical letters for sudden illness, P45 or redundancy notice for job loss, police reports for domestic abuse, or death certificates for bereavement. These help the council understand why your circumstances are exceptional rather than ongoing.

Proof of income maximisation: The council wants evidence that you're taking steps to improve your financial position. This might include proof of job applications, evidence of benefit checks to ensure you're claiming everything available, or confirmation that you've sought free debt advice.

How to Submit

Use Wigan Council's online "Apply for a Discretionary Council Tax Reduction" form. The council also lists email submission of the completed application and supporting documents to [email protected], or delivery in person to:

• Wigan Life Centre: College Street, Wigan, WN1 1NH (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm)
• Leigh Life Centre: Civic Square, Leigh, WN7 1BY (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm)

Follow the current form instructions for submitting your application and evidence.

What Happens After You Apply

The council reviews your application and makes a decision based on the severity of your hardship and the available budget. There is no fixed processing time. If approved, the discretionary reduction is applied directly to your Council Tax account, reducing or clearing the outstanding balance.

If refused, ask the council for written reasons. You can first notify Wigan in writing and then appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England about the Council Tax liability, including a refusal to grant a discretionary reduction. The usual deadline is two months from the council's decision, or four months from your written challenge if the council has not replied within two months.

A key point: receiving a discretionary reduction in one year does not guarantee you'll receive one in future years. The council reassesses each application individually.

Practical Tips

Keep copies of every document you submit and note the date. Save the online confirmation or other proof of submission; if you email supporting documents, keep the sent email.

Be honest about your spending. The council reviews bank statements in detail. Unexplained large payments, regular gambling transactions, or luxury purchases undermine a hardship claim. If you have a specific explanation for an unusual transaction, include it.

Apply when hardship arises rather than waiting until arrears have progressed to court action. The council considers each application individually.

The Wigan Council Tax Reduction guide includes a Section 13A application map with a step-by-step evidence assembly workflow.

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