Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government
Today, I am pleased to announce I have laid regulations to ensure that, where households host people under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, they will not lose out on council tax discounts or exemptions resulting from their compassionate offer to provide support to people in desperate need.
We all stand in support with the people of Ukraine who are bravely resisting this unprovoked and brutal act of war and many people in Wales want to do all they can to help them in their hour of need.
The legislation will ensure that a Ukrainian who has secured a visa under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme will be disregarded for council tax purposes. This will protect the sponsor’s single adult discount, where relevant, and the 50% discount received by a sponsor household where all the occupants are already disregarded. It will also ensure that there is no loss of an exemption where a household hosts a person who has secured a visa under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
We will bring forward further legislation in due course to ensure that people arriving in Wales from Ukraine are able to access our council tax reduction scheme. In the meantime, persons arriving from Ukraine via the Homes for Ukraine and other schemes have access to local council tax support in cases of financial hardship and local authorities are providing discretionary discounts where they consider this appropriate.