An anti-poverty charity has claimed a public consultation on changes to council tax support in Waltham Forest was unlawful.

Councils were handed responsibility for setting a rate of council tax benefit as part of welfare reforms aimed at saving money and improving efficiency.

Waltham Forest council consulted residents on options which would no longer see 100 per cent of council tax paid for those on benefits.

But following a recent landmark relating to a similar consultation in Haringey, the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust says Waltham Forest council’s consultation was flawed.

Supreme Court judges recently ruled that Haringey council unlawfully failed to notify residents of alternative money-saving measures as part of the process.

Zacchaeus 2000 Trust chief executive, Joanna Kennedy, said: "Local residents often feel that consultations are a sham and that the council has already decided what they wish to do. This ruling will only serve to reinforce that feeling.

"Residents in Harrow and Waltham Forest have been told by their council that they have no choice but to increase Council Tax charges to the poorest. They were only asked by how much.

"This ruling demonstrates that these consultations are unlawful. Council’s have a myriad of different options to meet funding shortfalls, to imply all that they can do is cut support is severely misleading.

"We call on Harrow and Waltham Forest to scrap their proposed cuts to Council Tax Support."

Council tax benefit claimants in Waltham Forest currently have to pay 15 per cent of the annual bill, which was reduced in its first year to 8.5 per cent. This compares to five per cent in Redbridge.

The consultation document distributed to those affected did not refer to other options.

Waltham Forest council has been asked to comment.