HARD-pressed pensioners in the county could pay less council tax next year under a radical scheme being considered by Kent County Council.

Conservative County Hall leaders have written to ministers to outline proposals which would cushion pensioners from inflation-busting bills.

KCC is considering protecting some 134,000 pensioners by pegging increases in their bills to 2.5 per cent – in line with the inflation rate.

An alternative option being considered by KCC would mean the same discount but only for pensioners over the age of 75. In both cases, other council tax payers would have to make up the difference.

For them, bills would increase by an additional 1.3 per cent if all pensioners were given a discount and 0.6 per cent if it was offered to those over the age of 75.

The average KCC council tax bill this year rose by more than 12 per cent to £852 and a 1.3 per cent increase on this equates to about £11.

County council leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart (Con) said he was concerned pensioners were finding it increasingly hard to pay their bills and was conscious many were “losing patience” with councils.

In a letter to local government minister Nick Raynsford, he says: “For all pensioners, the yearly increase in council tax is causing very real difficulty. This is now particularly severe in south east counties, where the Government’s redistribution of grant away from counties such as Kent…is driving up council tax.”

“We would urge you to consider giving us local discretion to give some relief to our hard-pressed pensioners.”

KCC says any other rebates which pensioners qualify for, such as discounts for disability or for pensioners who live alone, would be unaffected.

“Even those who do qualify for rebates can find the council tax difficult to pay,” said Sir Sandy.

The council chief stressed it was “early days” and KCC was asking for clarification from the Government about whether it could implement its plans.

Opposition Labour group leader Cllr Mike Eddy said he had some sympathy with the idea but warned there were others who found council tax bills hard to pay.

“It is a reasonable suggestion but it would increase the burden on others. We have every sympathy with pensioners but there are working families who find these bills equally difficult to pay,” he added.