Low‑income households in Folkestone, Kent, will receive extra help with their bills under a new council tax support plan due to begin on 1 April 2026. From that date Folkestone & Hythe District Council is changing how it calculates discounts for working‑age residents, moving to a simplified income‑banded system intended to make bills more affordable for families struggling with the high cost of living.
The new system uses a set of income bands to decide how much support a household can get, replacing older, more complex calculation rules. Under the proposals the district’s most financially vulnerable working‑age households could receive up to 100% council tax relief, reversing the previous requirement that some low‑income working‑age residents must always pay a minimum contribution.
Cllr Tim Prater, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Governance, said the changes aim to make the process easier for residents to understand and use. By aligning the scheme with Universal Credit data — including proposals to use UC award data to simplify and automate claims — the council expects to reduce administration and get help to those who need it more quickly. The council ran a public consultation on the proposals from 4 August to 26 October 2025, and the scheme was considered alongside the 2026/27 budget in February 2026 (Cabinet papers dated 11 February; Full Council was due to consider the final budget and council tax on 25 February 2026).
The council and local analysts say the expanded support is likely to create an estimated funding gap of around £1.75 million, which the authority will need to address through other revenue, savings or reserves. The change is being described as the most significant update to local council tax support in the district since the 2013 national shift that left working‑age schemes to local authorities. The new discounts will apply across the Folkestone & Hythe district, including Folkestone, Hythe, Romney Marsh and the North Downs.
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