Swindon council responds to carers' council tax discount misinformation
Action taken after inaccurate guidance highlighted by Martin Lewis
Swindon Borough Council has corrected information on its website regarding council tax discounts for live-in carers after it was included in a list of authorities providing incorrect or misleading guidance.
The list was compiled by personal finance expert Martin Lewis, known for his website Moneysavingexpert.com, and identified 69 councils whose online instructions suggested fewer people were eligible for this support than is actually the case.
Swindon was named alongside neighbouring Cheltenham, Gloucester, and North Somerset. Lewis advised unpaid carers across the country to revisit their eligibility and highlighted Carers UK’s resources for guidance.
“If you did miss out due to councils’ poor info, ask for a backdated discount to the point of first eligibility, though different councils have different rules,” Lewis said.
In response to the revelations, Swindon Borough Council said the issue was immediately fixed upon seeing the published list.
Political debate has since arisen about the matter, with profiles from both Conservative and Labour councillors weighing in.
The Conservative shadow cabinet member for finance, Councillor Dale Heenan, called for a "top-to-bottom review" of the council’s benefits guidance, saying that fixing errors was not enough.
“It is unacceptable that the council is failing in the basic duty to provide accurate information to our town’s most hard-pressed residents,” Heenan said. “We cannot have a situation where a carer is out of pocket by £500 a year simply because a web page hasn’t been updated in the last three years.”
Labour Councillors, however, stressed they had acted swiftly and highlighted broader challenges during Conservative leadership prior to their administration.
Councillor Emma Bushell, the cabinet member for organisational oversight, said: “Labour acted immediately to make things clearer for carers as soon as we saw the work by Martin Lewis. The discount was never wrong, never withdrawn — and now it’s even easier to claim. While others chase headlines, we’re sorting the issue.”
A Labour spokesman responded to criticism from the Conservatives, pointing to historic failings in children’s services and council housing under the previous Tory administration while dismissing their remarks.
For now, the updated website ensures clearer guidance, and unpaid carers across Swindon are encouraged to check their eligibility and claim any discounts owed.