Rejected petition Backdate council tax discounts for dementia to the date of GP certification

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 long waiting periods meaning many people with dementia have to wait months or even years to qualify for council tax discounts.

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We want the Welsh Government to require that council tax disregards are backdated to the date a person was certified by the GP 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 on their council tax bill.
There are over 600,000 people in the UK with dementia who receive care at home. We believe current rules are unfair, and need to be reformed.
The petitioners therefore request that the Senedd urge the Welsh 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.

Why was this petition rejected?

It did not collect enough signatures to be referred to the Petitions Committee.

Petitions need to receive at least 250 signatures before they can be considered in the Senedd.

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