Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of how the changes to the rules on social security entitlements for mixed aged couples will affect local authority council tax reduction schemes given the protected status of pensioners in such schemes.

My Department has informed local authorities that it will ensure consistency in the treatment of mixed age couples between local council tax reduction schemes and the wider benefits system from 1 April 2020. Council tax reduction schemes operating in the current financial year should continue to treat persons as pensioners or not pensioners according to definitions set out in existing regulations.