Clwyd West Assembly Member Darren Millar is calling on Conwy and Denbighshire County Councils to maintain their current support for ex-servicemen and women by disregarding forces related income as part of the means testing for Council Tax benefit.
Both local authorities currently recognise the fact that war pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme awards are not an income support payment, but are paid as compensation for injury, illness or loss as a result of service in the Armed Forces and therefore disregard in full all such payments from the means test.
However with the Welsh Government currently reviewing council tax support for lower income and vulnerable households, many ex-forces families are concerned this could change.
Darren, who raised the matter in the Senedd this week, is therefore urging both Conwy and Denbighshire County Councils to continue to maintain the full disregard.
He said:
“As Chair of the Cross-Party Group on the Armed Forces, I have been contacted by people who want to express their concerns that the opportunities for disallowing war disablement pensions, war widows’ pensions and the armed forces compensation scheme income may be lost as a result of any changes that may come as a result of this review.
“I am therefore calling on both Conwy and Denbighshire County Councils to demonstrate their commitment to their local armed forces community by maintaining this full disregard. Local authorities across Wales have now signed Armed Forces Community Covenants and maintaining the full disregard will further highlight a real commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.
“It is impossible to overstate the massive contribution that our armed forces make to keeping our nation safe, often at great personal risk, failing to fully disregard these compensation payments would be a failure to recognise this commitment and sacrifice.”
