IF you are on a low income, you may be entitled to help with your council tax bill.

Until 2010, the council tax reduction scheme was a fully funded national benefit.

But since 2013, local authorities in England have been responsible for running their own schemes to help people pay their bills - and the amount chipped in by central government has been reducing ever since.

Not for the first time, central government has handed responsibility for a service to local government and walked away with all the cash, leaving councillors to take all the flak.

Pensioners won’t be affected because their benefits are protected m- but single parent families, people on zero hours contracts and other vulnerable citizens may have to find extra to pay their bills.

This change will be felt in the pockets of Bradford’s poorest residents - the people who can least afford to pay more.

More than 100,000 people in the Bradford district defaulted on part of their council tax in the financial year 2015/16.

The total value of outstanding council tax in that year alone was £7.2m.

Bradford’s scheme has to be sustainable but not at the expense of other services.

There is no doubt that money needs to be saved but there are other ways of doing that, not least ensuring that people who can’t be bothered to pay their council tax are shouldering their share of the overall burden.

It’s only fair to help people who have difficulty paying, but the council also has a duty to pursue those who won’t pay, especially to those taxpayers who pay their dues on time.