HERE'S some potentially good news for those struggling to make ends meet in York.

Council bosses are to review the authority's tough approach to collecting council tax, in a move which could see a cut in bills for the worst off.

At the moment, everyone of working age in York must pay at least 30 per cent of their council tax, regardless of income.

That makes York amongst the toughest local authorities in the country. According to charity Advice York, across England the least well off pay on average only 13 per cent of their council tax.

The 30 per cent rate was fixed by in York by the previous Labour administration, after the national Coalition government scrapped council tax benefit in 2013 and said local authorities would be responsible for administering a new benefit called Council Tax Support.

It was left to councils to decide what this support would be worth. In York it was fixed at a level that meant even the worst-off householders had to pay 30 per cent of their bill.

According to Advice York, a third of householders in York have had to take out a loan to pay their council tax.

The picture is complicated by the fact that, while the council has money to help those who fall into council tax arrears, less than half of this has been taken up.

Now Coun Carol Runciman, a spokesperson for the new ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, has said there will be a review to "determine the best way to use our limited resources to support residents."

We know the council is under huge financial pressure. But those on low incomes find this tax very hard to pay. Anything that can lessen their burden would be welcome.