Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS)

Court orders Bedford man to repay £7,000 after social housing and Council Tax fraud

A court has ruled that a man from Bedford must repay more than £7,000 after failing to declare he no longer lived at his social housing property. Shaun Johnson, 41, who held a bpha tenancy...

Emotional debate sees councillors reject plans to overhaul Council Tax Reduction Scheme

Bedford borough councillors rejected plans to overhaul the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) after a heated and, at times, emotional debate. The Conservative administration’s proposed...

Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils look at reducing council tax support for area’s poorest families

Bedford Borough Council is proposing to cut council tax support for low income households from April 2026, while Central Bedfordshire Council is consulting on similar changes as both authorities...

Opposition pressure forces rethink on Bedford Borough Council fee rises

Bedford Borough Council has delayed planned fee increases until January and scaled back pest control rises for low-income residents, following last-minute challenges from opposition...

Monthly column: Leading Bedford Borough Council through financial challenge – a call to action

Across the country, councils are facing unprecedented financial pressures and Bedford Borough is no exception. The cost of delivering essential services like adult social care, children’s...

“Deeply unpalatable” changes to council tax support scheme proposed in Central Bedfordshire

Potential cuts to council tax support for working-age claimants in Central Bedfordshire are “beyond damaging for the poorest people”, a meeting heard. Under the current scheme, 9,371 households...

Storm brews over proposed changes to Bedford’s Council Tax Reduction Scheme

Proposals to reform Bedford Borough’s Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) have sparked a political row, with opposition Liberal Democrat councillors accusing the Conservative...

Get the latest Bedford news first

Subscribe to our free daily email for our lead story each morning before we publish it anywhere else, plus the key Bedford Borough headlines from the last 24 hours – without having to log into social media.