Up to 1,000 families are falling into debt each month due to cuts in council tax benefit, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Citizens Advice Bureau says it has seen a rise of 40 per cent on enquiries from people struggling to pay their council tax.
About three million people used to get help with their bills and 1.4 million of the poorest families paid nothing.
The government axed the benefit last year and, instead, councils were forced to bring in minimum payments of between 6-30 per cent of the full council tax bill.
So now many families on the breadline are having for fork out an average of £160.
As a pensioner on state pension and a small private pension, my partner and I are now paying some council tax which we never paid previously.
Although thankfully (through my efforts of working hard and paying taxes and National Insurance contributions) we are not on the breadline I feel sorry for those people who, through no fault of their own, are struggling.
That’s my terrible wicked socialist thinking - and if any of those who like to criticise me are interested we have donated to the food bank and help people where we can.
ROBERT HARVEY
Nene Parade
March
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