Council tax rule changed

STUDENTS sharing a home with non- or ex-students claiming council tax benefit will no longer have to stump up a share of the bill. Normally, students are exempt from paying the tax and unable to claim benefit. But a legal anomaly meant they became liable to pay if they shared a house with a non-student claimant. This is because benefit was only granted for the claimant's proportion of the bill, the remainder falling to the rest of the household. Now claimants sharing with students will receive benefit on the full council tax bill.