Council tax

Mine is a 3 bedroom Victorian flat in a decent area (band c) and my CT bill with 25% discount will be £118 pm from 1st April.
I don't object as I broadly agree with council expenditure - eg new, wheelchair-accessible council housing.
I'd have to do some investigation into councillor expenses and payments.

Mycouncil tax for a two bedroom (new build 7 years ago) is £170 per month . Rising almost 4% in April ! There are houses in my borough worth twice as much as mine (or more) paying a lot less than what I pay.

I don't pay Council Tax which is fair I think because I live on a narrow boat and don't get any council services.

Apparently I could apply for a bus pass because of my age but I don't think that would be right because I am not contributing.

I really miss the convenience of a pass which I experienced when I lived on dry land. Now I have to make sure I have enough change to pay the £2.40 it costs each way to get to the shops..

I agree that CT is not really fair because it doesn't take account of individual circumstances (eg number of residents). One problem is that if it did the rules would have to be quite complex and it would cost more to administer.

Mine was £1,155.82 last year for Band A (dormer bungalow granny annexe new build). Take 25% discount for single occupancy from that amount but I don't yet have the 2019/2020 amount.
I think the monthly figure people are giving is confusing as most areas make you pay over 10 months but some now let you pay over 12 months so people might be talking at cross purposes regarding the total bill.
Remember Conservative councils usually have lower council tax bills as they are better at managing money. Labour councils are usually incompetent spendthrifts so no money could ever be transferred from a rich area to a poor area. That's not to say that poor areas should not get more support from central government, which as far as I know, they do.

I pay £125 for a one bedroom flat in a small village in Surrey which includes single occupancy discount. That’s over 10 months and it will probably go up in April. It has the the two years previously. My other bills are quite high . I work 11.5 hours a week to supplement my pension. I don’t know how I’ll manage when I finally give up work

My Laour council has sneakily changed the ten monthly payment to 12 monthly- the monthly payment looks less!

They have also approved of a rise for themselves- well, what a surprise.

Some of you appear to be paying an awful lot of money- have you, like bikergran made enquiries?

Our labour council have some of the highest paid executives in the country .they have just spent £millions of our money on the town hall too with Top of the range everything ( I’ve had the grand tour with WI) . Not forgetting the free Pilates and yoga etc. for their staff of course . Oh and they must be getting backhanders from Siemens and road contractors as we have unnecessary traffic lights and new bus lanes popping up everywhere . How bloody dare they raise our CT and waste money like this ?

Isn’t it true that some of the local government leaders earn more than Mrs May?
Nobody is getting a pension or wage rise at that %, I don’t know how some afford to pay.

Wirral council is " propping up " various other councils in the country.( £51 million ) I strongly object to this for many reasons, firstly in a few places in the borough there is very poor street-lighting, lights out and not fixed. Patchy roads, some lethal pavements, weeds growing along pavement edges.

Other councils who receive what WE should are, Birmingham, Glasgow and elsewhere. The Labour council has been tackled about this but they won't budge on it. It's known as " Mates Rates " and has been going on for a few years. Low interest loans.

It's good to know that our council tax is going out of the area to help others while our services are going down the pan ! Although this was voted against--8 out of 10, the Labour councillors refused.

Our council tax rise is due to the fact that there is a £45million shortfall which is needed !! We should all refuse to pay it given that they hand out £51 million to other councils. They're blaming this government for the austerity measures-----what ?

There are two issues here at least - how the money’s raised and how it’s spent. I despair that any government will ever have the courage to reform local revenue raising- the LDs used to advocate a local income tax which is on the right lines re fairness but has never been taken up mainstream. As for how it’s spent - I live in a solid Tory area and could match you story for story gilly. The quality of many who become councillors makes me despair and the only exception is the LDs who work extremely hard at ward level to fight our corner and are good at communicating

Wealthier areas giving money to help poorer areas?
Is this an English thing? I have never heard of it and find it hard to believe that Wirral is subsidising Glasgow!
Where can I find out more about this?

What’s happening is that Wirral ( and other councils) lend to councils. The rates are usually above bank rate and of course the loan is very safe. Whereas my Tory cc invested in a scheme that went bust and all that money was lost.

boat I am amazed you do not pay any council tax. You walk on the streets, have use of street lighting etc. What happens to your rubbish and the effluent from the barge?

boat I too am amazed - my understanding is that a narrow boat that is residential attracts council tax and so it should. Of course you use council services as Charley says and anyway, with council tax and income tax we all pay towards services we don’t directly use. Tax isn’t about paying just for what you use

Flipping heck - this explains it all - lots of grey areas. Yet another reason why council tax is rubbish
www.livingonaboat.co.uk/paying-taxes-if-you-live-boat.html

It does not make any sense, does it?

Living on a boat. Found this...

“In having no official residence they are not liable for council tax. The official word is that they should pay if their boat is their main residence, but in practice only boaters with a permanent mooring – and a permanent address – are expected to pay up. Currently they are within Band A, the lowest band.29 Dec 2018”

Agree totally unfair -las shoukd get their act together re this issue anD not allow this ( in some cases) opaque system to continue.

I am awaiting my bill at the moment, should be any day now. I believe there is an increase of 3.5%! Two bedroomed cottage £140 pm last year.

Hi Anya

I live on a narrow boat and do not pay council tax. Consequently I do not get any council services which is absolutely fair. I have to cope with my own rubbish, recycling etc.

I understand that despite this I am eligible for an OAP bus pass but have not claimed one because, as I don't contribute to the council, I don't think it's fair that local residents should be funding my trips to the shops (£2.40 each way).

Sorry. Had forgotten I said most of this before. Actually I think I spend more on donations to the food bank than I would on Council Tax.

MCEM google Wirral council.
Their latest is when an audit was done it was found that £183,000 had been sent to a non-existent company last year.
This title comes under Probe into council payments--Wirral.

last year £210 per month 4 bed semi London

£225 per month for 4 bed house in Stockport, not the most salubrious area by anyones standards.
I will now qualify for 25% discount as my H has gone into care.
The amount I am paying for his care makes this a tiny drop in the ocean. We face an increase of 5.5% in April.

If I move from this house which I admit is too big for me, I face half of any profit going towards my H's care fees. A cleft sword.