EVEN before the UK went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, fears had been raised that people would struggle to pay their council tax bills.

With non-essential workers being laid off or put on holiday due to the lockdown, Powys Council has issued further guidance on Council Tax.

But it has not gone as far as neighbouring authorities, Shropshire in England or Gwynedd in giving residents time before collection starts.

At a meeting of the Finance Panel, Cllr Jeremy Pugh (Action for Powys – Builth Wells) pointed out that people who had suffered flooding in the town need a council tax break.

Cllr Pugh said: “I think you’ll struggle to get the council tax in this year.

“I had a meeting in Builth with people who are telling me the last thing they are looking to pay is the council tax

“If you’re trying to evaluate every case, it’s going to cost you an absolute fortune in officers' time.”

Finanance portfolio holder, Cllr Aled Davies (Conservative – Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant & Llansilin) said that the council would need to issue messages on the council tax that help is available, but stressed there would be no blanket dispensations.

Cllr Davies said; “We have to focus resources on where it is most essential.

“We cannot have a blanket dispensation to delay council tax for a few months, we cannot do that, we have to take it case by case.”

Head of Finance, Jane Thomas, added that the budget “relies on council tax.”

In 2020-21 PCC plans to spend a net budget of £269.4million with 34 per cent of funding coming from council tax.

In March,  a 4.8 per-cent hike to council tax bills was voted through, this comes on top of a 9.5 per-cent increase in 2019-20.