The future postcode lottery for council tax benefit

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Many welfare benefits are to merge into a single benefit called 'Universal Credit' for working-age claimants, but council tax benefit is excluded from the plan.

Instead, the government proposes that each local authority will organise its own scheme, within some basic guidelines. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) is worried this will mean increased complexity - a retrograde step in plans to 'make work pay' and increased costs.