Councillor Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality, was scheduled to attend a meeting to discuss a new Council Tax Hardship Fund Policy. The policy aims to provide financial assistance to residents experiencing financial hardship in meeting their council tax liability. The meeting was scheduled to take place at Alexandra House.

Council Tax Hardship Fund Policy

A report in the Public Reports Pack outlined a recommendation to approve a new Council Tax Hardship Fund Policy. The policy's goal is to offer assistance to council tax payers facing financial hardship. The report noted that the rising cost of living has placed many Haringey residents under financial strain, affecting council tax collection rates.

The proposed policy establishes the criteria and process for distributing funds to council tax payers in arrears and experiencing financial hardship. Funding of £66,000 was agreed by Councillor Seema Chandwani on 8 October 2025, subject to a policy and application process being approved.

The report recommended that Councillor Seema Chandwani:

• Approve the Council Tax Hardship Fund Policy outlined in Appendix 1 of the Public Reports Pack.
• Delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Environment and Resident Experience, in consultation with Councillor Seema Chandwani, to make amendments to this policy following annual review or changes in legislation.

The report stated that an alternative to approving the policy would be to reallocate the funding set aside in 2025-26, and that financially vulnerable residents in council tax arrears would not receive proactive support to pay their bill.

The policy would complement the statutory Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) and the council's statutory requirement to provide a Council Tax Section 13A hardship provision¹.

The eligibility criteria for the fund include residents who:

• Are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Pension Credit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.
• Have a weekly income of less than £500 for a family, or £350 for an individual.
• Have suffered a life crisis which has impacted their ability to pay their Council Tax liability.
• Face difficulty paying their remaining Council Tax liability.
• Are experiencing exceptional hardship.

Awards will be considered through a shared application form with the Haringey Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payment, or the council may use data insights to make proactive awards to residents identified as meeting the entitlement conditions. Trusted third parties may also be trained to decide applications for their Service Users.

The council will consider factors such as the shortfall between council tax liability and any support received, personal and household circumstances, whether the household could access any statutory support to maximise their income, income and expenditure analysis, engagement with welfare advice services, and the duration and severity of hardship.

Awards will be credited directly to the council tax account and may not cover the full shortfall. Awards are time-limited and typically apply to the balance for the financial year in which they are granted, and are subject to funding.

The policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if legislation changes, with any changes made by the Corporate Director for Environment and Resident Experience, in consultation with Councillor Seema Chandwani.

The report included comments from statutory officers, including the Director of Finance, Head of Legal & Governance, and Equalities. The Director of Finance stated that there were no risks envisaged to the council on establishing the policy and administering the Council Tax Hardship Fund. The Head of Legal & Governance noted that the grant funding was made pursuant to s31 Local Government Act 2003, and that the authority must ensure that the grant funding conditions are met. The Equalities officer noted that no protected groups are negatively impacted by this policy change, and those with a low socioeconomic status are positively impacted.