Single people, lone parents and couples with children could be hit with a council tax bill for the first time.

Wandsworth Borough Council is currently consulting on a plan to increase the minimum threshold so that every working age household makes a minimum contribution of 30 per cent of their council tax, unless they are a protected group. This means they could end up with a £200 increase in their annual bill from 2016.

The consultation is part of the annual review of the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme and forms part of the efforts to save money as the council will receive £50m less per year from the Government by 2020. Protected people would include those who receive a disability or carers premium with their CTR claim, or where a claimant or partner gets support group element within their award for Employment and Support Allowance.

Households that have been adapted to suit disabilities will not be faced with the additional bill, neither will disabled veterans or war widows on pensions. Households with dependent children under three make up the final protected group.

A council spokesman said: “We welcome all feedback on the proposed scheme and will examine the views we receive during this consultation in detail before finalising the terms.”

The spokesman also noted that the borough’s council tax level was the second lowest in the country and about half the London average.

At a meeting on October 1, councillors Peter Carpenter and James Daley proposed that the minimum payment be moved to 20 per cent instead of 30 per cent and be extended to households with children under the age of five, not three.

Coun Carpenter, Labour speaker on finance, said: “The proposed 30 per cent contribution rate puts Wandsworth in the middle of the schemes operated by London boroughs.

“We think it should be reduced to 20 per cent, which would put Wandsworth in the lower quartile, in line with their low council tax policy.

“This would cost around £200k, the equivalent of about 4p a week on council tax.

“Wandsworth is also proposing to exempt from payment families with children under three years old. We think this should be extended to families with children under five years old. “This would cost about £100k, the equivalent of about 2p a week on council tax.”

A council spokesman said: “Wandsworth’s council tax bills are roughly half the London average so a 30 per cent contribution will cost our residents roughly the same as a 15 per cent contribution in another borough.

“Keeping our tax rate low benefits everyone, including those on very low incomes.”

The consultation runs until December 12, and can be answered online via wandsworth.gov.uk/ctsconsultation.

Council Tax Band / Minimum Contribution 30%

A £134.68 per year 

B £157.56 per year

C £179.92 per year

D £202.28 per year

E £247.52 per year

F £292.76 per year

G £337.48 per year

H £405.08 per year