A local authority is set to boost its support to help hard-up residents with their council tax bills during the continuing cost of living crisis.

Burnley Council is to boost its special scheme for working age claimants of council tax support for the next two years.

Its Labour bosses have set out details of the change, which will cost £120,000, before it is debated by the authority's ruling executive on September 20.

The council is proposing to set the subsidy for eligible working age claimants at 95 per cent in 2024/25, and 90 per cent in 2025/26, to help ease the financial hardship caused by the current national cost of living crisis.

There are currently 9,698 households in the borough claiming council tax support, of which 70 per cent (6,814) are people of working age.

Up until this financial year working age claimants received a subsidy of up to 85 per cent on their council tax bill.

In 2023/24 the council temporarily increased that subsidy to 100 per cent for the financial year only, and had planned to restore the level back to 85 per cent from April 2024.

The proposed changes would extend the period of extra support, with a return to the 85 per cent level in April 2026 instead.

An eight-week public consultation would be launched on September 25 before final recommendations are put to borough's full council for decision in February as part of its 2024/25 budget.

The cost of £120,000 would be paid from the authority's cost of living reserve fund.

Cllr Sue Graham, the council’s finance boss, said: “The aim is to continue to offer extra support to some of our most vulnerable residents who are struggling to make ends meet through the cost of living crisis, by reducing their council tax bills.

“We know that everyone is finding it hard at the moment but the poorest people in our borough are struggling to put food on the table or heat their homes and we feel that continuing this support for another two years is the right thing to do given the current circumstances.”