The total weekly income forgone by local authorities was £6.829m (compared to £7.328m in March 2021).

The total number of CTR recipients in Scotland decreased over the course of 2021-22 with the largest decrease of 1.7% observed in January 2022 compared to the previous month.

February 2022 saw the lowest level of CTR recipients ever recorded, with numbers marginally increasing to 462,670 in March 2022, which halts the downward trend observed in the previous nine months but still means the number of CTR recipients is near a historic low.

The decrease in numbers is likely to be driven by economic and employment conditions recovering after the pandemic.

The total number of Council Tax Reduction recipients in Scotland is now 16% (89,710 recipients) lower in March 2022 than it was when the scheme began (April 2013).

The agreement secured with local authorities to freeze Council Tax in 2021-22 and the reduction in CTR recipients is also reflected in the decrease in income forgone.