Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, with reference to the Government's response to recommendation 10 of Eric Ollerenshaw’s 2016 Independent Review of Local Council Tax Support Schemes, if he will commission independent in-depth research into the effect of the introduction of local council tax support on low-income households affected by other reductions to social security benefits.

The Government does not propose to pursue such research at this time, particularly as similar work has been carried out by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and others. However, we will continue to consider whether additional work might be helpful in further developing the Government’s understanding of local council tax support.