New Forest District Counilc have approved plans that will lead to a cut in Council Tax benefit. Until recently residents on certain residents were entitled to a 100% Council Tax benefit subsidy from central government. After a task and finish group concluded its report, new plans were approved in December that now mean that those individuals will have to pay 10% of their Council Tax, roughly £2.53 a week for a band D property.

This change in policy will ensure that everyone who uses local services, whether they be rubbish collection or green spaces, will now have an obligation to pay something. New Forest Conservatives hope that this move will ensure that all residents take pride in the public services that the Council provide. 

The removal of benefit subsidy was fiercely opposed by all six Liberal Democrat District Councillors, who feared that the removal of 10% benefit might lead to higher rates of suicide. There is no evidence to support this accusation, and indeed many other councils are cutting the subsidy by 20%.