Devon County Council has welcomed the Government's campaign to encourage pensioners and those on low incomes to apply for help paying their council tax.

The Government will remove a restriction, from April 2004, that currently prevents people living in properties valued in the F,G, and H council tax bands from entitlement to full council tax benefit.

'This will help large families on benefit,' said Department of Work and Pensions Minister, Chris Pond, 'Particularly those living in some inner-city areas, who need to rent properties which fall into these bands.'

Until now, people claiming council tax benefit who are living in an F, G or H property, have had their level of entitlement capped at Band E.

In Devon, removal of the restriction could mean extra help for up to 1000 households, and Devon County Council hopes that the move will encourage people living in these properties, who may be on low income, to apply for the first time.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Brian Greenslade, said, 'We're in quite a unique position in Devon. We are property rich but cash poor, meaning property has a high value, but our earnings are lower than the national average.

'It is good the Government has removed its restriction for these bands, making it possible for everyone now to at least have a chance to claim the full cost of their council tax.

'However we still believe that the Government should be doing more to make council tax fairer, linking the tax with people's ability to pay rather than with the value of their property - something that we've been pushing the Government very hard to reform.'

CAREdirect, Devon's pioneering service for older people hosted by the County Council, has been actively promoting the take up of council tax benefit throughout the county for the last 12 months and has helped pensioners successfully claim approximately £1 million in council tax allowances.

'Paul Searle of CAREdirect, said, 'A third of all pensioners who are entitled to council tax benefit do not claim it. The Government estimate that between £590 and £860 million of council tax benefit goes unclaimed each year and in Devon that figure equates to about £5 million of unclaimed benefit.

'We still have much work to do in this area, and will continue to actively promote and encourage those pensioners with probable entitlements to claim, using all of our available resources.

'We're urging Devon's pensioners and their carers to contact us on freephone 0800 444 000 to find out more about possible entitlements to council tax benefit and other benefits such as pension Credit and Attendance Allowance.'

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