Changes to the way benefits and council tax are administered will help to ensure that people receiving benefits, such as Disability Living Allowance, will be protected, and that empty homes may be freed up. From April 2013 the current benefits system, which assists those on low incomes to help them meet their council tax payments, will be replaced by the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) which will be determined and administered by local councils. Under the new scheme current benefit payments will be replaced with awards of discount to reduce the recipient’s council tax. The new system will be paid for, in part, through a new grant allocation and, as the new arrangements impact on two-tier councils, district councils throughout Oxfordshire worked alongside the County Council and Thames Valley Police to consult with the public on the design of the new scheme. Following the consultation, which took place earlier this year, Oxfordshire councils agreed to introduce a new Council Tax Reduction Scheme across the county which would largely replicate the existing council tax benefits system. This means that people with disabilities will continue to be protected. Disability Living Allowance and the Personal Independence Payments, which will start to replace it from April, will not be regarded as income when CTRS payments are calculated. As these payments will attract extra disability premiums, the most severely disabled will receive more benefit. It was also decided that War Widows or War Disability Pensions will be fully disregarded as income under any CTRS calculations. As well as implementing changes to the benefits system the councils also agreed, at the first opportunity possible, to address council tax exemptions and discounts which currently apply to unoccupied homes. Under the current arrangements second homes, unfurnished or unoccupied dwellings or those requiring structural repairs, qualify for council tax exemptions or discounts of varying levels. The council agreed that, in order to encourage more homes to be made available for people who need them more quickly, these discounts would be eliminated or substantially reduced, and in cases where a property had been left unoccupied for two years or more a premium of 50 per cent would be payable in addition to the full council tax charge. Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council and cabinet member for finance, said: “We have worked with other councils from around the county to ensure that the new Council Tax Reduction Scheme works for the benefit of our residents and does not unfairly impact on those who need financial support to get by. We are also trying to address the problem of empty homes which are preventing many people from finding accommodation throughout our area, and we believe that by eliminating and vastly reducing exemptions for these properties we will help ease the housing problem.”.