Martin Lewis has warned people with mental health issues not to miss out on a scheme which means that they could be eligible for a council tax reduction. Speaking on his Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV on Tuesday the MoneySavingExpert said many people could be unaware of the "under-covered" scheme even though they might be eligible.
The UK government scheme allows people to apply for a discount on their council tax bill if you or someone you live with is severely mentally impaired. To be eligible you need a certificate to say you’re severely mentally impaired from a medical professional, such as your GP, as well as proving your eligibility for certain benefits which you can do through your local council. You can find out your local authority here.
Mr Lewis said there could be "at least 100,000 people" missing out on the scheme even though they might qualify.
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"If people have - it's a horrible term - severe mental impairment (SMI) which means you've substantially lost social function - it could be Alzheimer's, it could be a stroke, it could be dementia, there are qualifications you have to go through - then you may be eligible to be discounted for council tax purposes," he explained.
Mr Lewis gave an example of two people in a household where one person qualifies for the scheme, meaning the other would effectively get the 25% single person's discount. He said some councils even backdate the money meaning you could get thousands of pounds if you qualify. He added that there could be thousands of people missing out on the scheme.
"It is so under-covered and some council offices don't even know when you call them up that it exists," he added. "If you think you know anyone in that position, look up the severe mental impairment council tax discount, do your reading on it -there's quite a few qualifications but there are probably at least 100,000 missing out on it, at my guess."
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