Founders of the Single Council Tax Campaign (SCTC) are calling for the single council tax discount to be increased from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, arguing that people who live alone are unfairly burdened by a higher cost for the tax.
The petition entitled ‘Give one-person households 50 per cent council tax discount rather than 25 per cent’ now has more than 10,000 signatures, which means the Government is obliged to respond.
Campaigners point out that as the cost of living crisis in the UK continues, the unfair single person discount puts significant financial pressure on people who live alone.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that people living on their own spend an average of 92 per cent of their disposable income, compared with two-adult households who spend only 83 per cent of theirs.
Based on the average Band D tax set by local authorities in England for 2023/24, people who live alone pay £516.24 more every year than those who split the cost 50/50 with a partner.
There are 8.3 million people living alone in the UK, according to the ONS, with this number projected to rise to 10.7 million by 2039.
People who live alone are disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis. Whether it’s not being able to split the rent or mortgage or having to cover ever-increasing bills on just one salary, it’s clear there’s a real cost to living alone.
As a result of spending more of their income on housing costs, bills, and food, those who live alone are among the least financially secure household types. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing, plus councils across the country increasing council tax for 2024/25, the pressure on single people is only set to get worse.
Single people disproportionately affected by council tax
Beverley Reinemann, one of the founders of the SCTC, said: “So much of the rhetoric around the cost-of-living crisis focuses on ‘hard working families’ which leaves people living alone, who are disproportionately affected by increased living costs, out of the conversation.
“From wage stagnation to job instability, no one is immune to the financial impacts of recent years, but those impacts are definitely felt more acutely by single people. Living alone is expensive and the only discount we’re eligible for is 25 per cent off our council tax bill. My council tax is £109 a month in Leeds Central. If the discount were 50% it would be £72.50, a saving of over £30 a month, or £360 a year.”
Natalia Dziedzic, who started the petition, said: “Personally, my council tax is £189 a month in the London Borough of Barnet. If the discount were 50 per cent it would be £141.75, a saving of nearly £50 a month, or £560 a year.”
