Require councils to suspend council tax payments during the coronavirus outbreak
This petition gathered 107,598 signatures between 26 March 2020 and 26 September 2020, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 15 April 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 17 September 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Require councils to suspend council tax payments during the coronavirus outbreak
During the coronavirus outbreak it is important that people have money for essentials such as utilities and food. The Government should require councils to suspend council tax payments, and directly fund local government operations, for the duration of the outbreak.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 15 April 2020. Its summary:
The Government is providing comprehensive support to individuals and households impacted by Covid-19, including a £500 million hardship fund for those in receipt of working age council tax support.
The opening 353 words of the 551-word response:
The Covid-19 outbreak has far-reaching consequences beyond public health. The Government has therefore put in place an unprecedented package of support for individuals and households affected by the outbreak.
The assistance that the Government is providing is targeted to protect those most at financial risk due to the impact of Covid-19 on the economy. It includes a wide range of support mechanisms to protect people’s incomes during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme helps firms to continue to keep people in employment through cash grants totalling 80% of employees’ wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500. The scheme will be open initially for at least 3 months and will be extended for longer if necessary. Similar support is also being provided to those who are self-employed, or partners in businesses, through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. Those eligible for this scheme can be paid grants worth 80% of their trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
Protections have also been put in place for homeowners and renters experiencing financial difficulty due to COVID-19. Following discussions with the industry, mortgage lenders are offering a three-month payment holiday for affected homeowners and landlords whose tenants are experiencing payment difficulty. Through the Coronavirus Act 2020, we have legislated to delay when landlords are able to evict tenants. Landlords cannot start proceedings to evict tenants for a three month period and the court service has suspended all ongoing housing possession action for 90 days from 27 March.
To support those on low incomes through the outbreak, the Chancellor has also announced a package of temporary benefit measures. The Government has increased the standard allowance of Working Tax Credit and Universal Credit by £20 a week. There has also been an increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates for private renters claiming Universal Credit housing element or Housing Benefit so they are set at the 30th percentile of market rents. Self-employed workers whose income has been affected by Covid-19 will also see their Minimum Income Floors relaxed further, so that their Universal Credit award can be increased to reflect their lower earnings.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 906, came from Slough.
107,465 of the signatures were from the UK and 133 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Slough | 906 |
| Ilford South | 893 |
| Harrow West | 807 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 807 |
| West Ham | 791 |
| Barking | 751 |
| East Ham | 734 |
| Feltham and Heston | 708 |
| Kingston and Surbiton | 649 |
| Bradford West | 647 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 29,236 |
| South East | 14,477 |
| North West | 11,456 |
| East of England | 10,160 |
| West Midlands | 9,977 |
| East Midlands | 7,330 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 7,224 |
| South West | 6,016 |
| Scotland | 4,030 |
| Wales | 2,394 |
| North East | 1,782 |
| Northern Ireland | 171 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 17 September 2020. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/303274.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
f15e72ca865c6849… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.