As many people may have heard in the news and from Money Saving Expert’s campaign, Local Authorities can offer residents with ‘mental health impairments’, including dementia, discounts and exemptions on their Council Tax.

Thank you to Newport City Council who have confirmed to me that this is available locally.  Information on how to apply for this discount and all Council Tax discounts can be found on Newport City Council’s website here.

Newport City Council describes the eligibility and discounts as follows:

“To be eligible for the SMI discount a doctor has to certify that the condition is permanent and will not improve in addition the person with the impairment has to also be receiving certain DWP benefits. With regard to backdating of a discount as long as the claimant can provide evidence that the qualifying criteria are met from an earlier date then there is no reason why we would not backdate the award. It always helps if the claimant submits a covering letter explaining the circumstances if a backdate is requested”.