Pip

kte82
kte82 Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener
edited March 28 in Current affairs

so yesterday I went to see citizens Advice about my council tax as I’m now exspected to pay over 80% Last Year and years previously I only had to pay 25%. Reason being that now I’ve migrated over to universal credit and the new financial year they include your pip apparently it’s meant to be over £500 a week I get just under that so I get to much but my pip pays for expenses associated to my disability and care . And now these changes are happening I really don’t know how myself and son are going to live I’m left with £25 a fought night for shopping this is before this come into effect. I’m not going to be able to send him to college next term his future is at risk I’m at a loss. This guy at Citizen Advised said they are trying to fight this asked weather I would like to fight this as well I said yes waiting to hear back. I want to hold the people who made these policies accountable in the courts for taking away quality of life of the most vulnerable in society to make up the losses in their budgets

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,042 Championing

    Council Tax Reduction is decided on at a local level. Each local authority has a different scheme and rules around income etc. This also means they can make changes to those rules.

    I'm glad Citizens Advice are protesting against this.

  • kte82
    kte82 Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    who decides what means tested and what’s not.
    I just get How they can all of the sudden decide that they can dismiss what stood for years and decide now that our pip isn’t just for our care needs but for use of utilities instead . No warning ⚠️. And as for migration there so sneaky behaviour going there aswel

  • CocoChanel
    CocoChanel Online Community Member Posts: 14 Connected

    Hi there sorry as this isn't really an answer for yourself but more a question on top of yours. I have tried to find out where they have agreed PIP to be means tested but even on the GOV sites it still says not means tested? When has this or will this change then? Its OK I'm under pip review and after a few health issues and being made redundant I rely too on the money I currently get to help with living, getting to apps etc.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,042 Championing
    edited March 28

    PIP is not means tested and there are no plans to make it so.

    From what they have written, OP's local council have decided to count PIP as income when calculating entitlement to Council Tax Reduction.

    As I advised each local authority runs a different scheme.

  • Zipz
    Zipz Online Community Member Posts: 1,945 Pioneering

    PIP has never been a means-tested benefit. The Green Paper does not mention means-testing. Additiinal utilities and payment for just about anything that a non- disabled person could do (cooking, cleaning, gardening) is financed via my PIP, necessating difficult choices because I live along.

  • kte82
    kte82 Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Im Leicester city so like kimi87 said council have Discretionary powers authority given by government but that’s ok coz I’m going to fight it along side Citizens Advice I feel so strongly about this

  • kte82
    kte82 Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    How do I start a petition up on this can somebody help me with this please

  • Community_Scope
    Community_Scope Posts: 1,786 Empowering

    Hi @kte82

    We just want to let you know we’ve edited the title of your post because it contained false information as pip is not a mean tested benefit. For more information about why we removed this, please consider our online community house rules.

    All the best
    Online community team

  • kte82
    kte82 Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Leicester is now excluding pip payments in as INCOME when assessing for Council Tax Support

    So if pip is not a means tested Benefit how are they able to do this. That’s why I made the title as it was.
    didnt mean to pass false information and if you like I’m happy to post a picture of my statement obviously hiding personal info from sight showing how they have included my pip and saying that’s the reason I my income is to high for support