Closed petition Require council tax discounts for dementia are backdated to the diagnosis date

Closed on 5 November 2022

People with dementia are only 'disregarded' (not counted) for council tax if they have a medical certificate and are eligible for certain benefits. Some benefits have waiting periods of up to six months, meaning many people with dementia have to wait months to qualify for council tax discounts.

We want the Government to require that council tax disregards are backdated to the date a person was certified as being severely mentally impaired, where they then go on to qualify for a relevant benefit. This should mean that people with dementia - no matter their age - receive additional council tax discounts for longer periods, potentially saving them thousands of pounds.

There are over 600,000 people with dementia who receive care at home. We believe current rules are unfair, and need to be reformed.