Councils are facing costs of £586m due to the record number of people claiming council tax support this year, new analysis has shown.

Analysis by LG Futures for the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals that 2.5 million working age people in England claimed a discount on their council tax bill between April and June this year.

The LGA is calling on the Government to fully fund this increased demand, which is expected to have risen even further over the summer due to the pandemic.

Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s Resources Board, said: ‘The sharp rise in council tax support claimants is heaping further pressure on this already underfunded vital local safety net. No one wants to ask those on the lowest incomes to pay more but councils have faced an impossible position that the pandemic has made worse.

’The Government must ensure councils have the full amount of funding required to provide council tax support to those who need it.’