The city council undertaking a review of all residents who receive the 25% single person discount on their council tax. This discount can be claimed where a dwelling or property has a sole adult occupant who is liable to pay council tax.
All responses to the review are handled by a centrally based local government scanning facility in Nottingham - they process documents on behalf of many local authorities across the United Kingdom.
Councillor Mohammed Jamil, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate governance at Peterborough City Council, said: "We are undertaking this review to ensure that households who are not eligible for single person discount are paying the full amount.
"Larger households need to pay more as they use more council services, which costs the council more money. It's not fair that taxpayers who pay the correct amount of council tax are receiving a lesser service, because others are knowingly, or unknowingly paying less than they should."
About the review
It is important that we ensure that the large number of single person discounts are being correctly awarded and that there are no cases where the discount is being claimed incorrectly, knowingly or otherwise. This review exercise will enable us to correct awards, via customers volunteering updated information regarding occupancy and also to investigate further into cases where we have reason to believe there may not be eligibility to the discount.
Legislation exists which allows discounts to be cancelled and backdated Council Tax to be recovered. Those who are proved to have knowingly defrauded the system may also face prosecution.
Letters to residents
In light of this we are verifying all accounts currently in receipt of Single Person Discount and where necessary issuing letters to residents, asking for them to confirm their current circumstances. This enables us to keep our records up to date, but is also a way of allowing residents to notify us if there has been a change in their circumstances.
All responses will be handled by a centrally based local government scanning facility based in Nottingham.
Checks will be made to ensure everyone who claims the discount is genuine. However, occasionally circumstances may not be so easy to explain.
How to complete your review
If you do not respond to the review within 14 days you will have your single person discount removed and further investigations may be undertaken.
Respond by text message
The quickest and most convenient way to make your declaration is by text message to 07975 005001.
Enter your 6-digit PIN number provided on the letter, followed by a space, followed by either Yes or No.
- Yes - if you are still the sole adult occupant at this property.
- No - if you are no longer the sole adult occupant OR have vacated the property.
Respond online
You can confirm your current details using the online form. To access the form you will need to enter your unique PIN number. You can find this PIN number on the letter we have sent to you.
Respond by post
You can complete the form on the back of your letter and return it to:
Income and Awards Review
PO Box 11326
Nottingham
NG1 9RE
Please note: Do not return your form to the council offices.
Contact us
If you need to speak to an advisor about your review, please call 0808 812 6763.