Council Tax Everything you need to know 2020 - 2021 Your guide to Council Tax 2020 - 2021 This leaflet provides information on how the council spends its money and Council Tax levels for the coming year. Understanding your Council Tax bill Each year the Government expects councils to raise money to help pay for the cost of providing local services. The money raised from local residents (Council Tax) is one of the ways that Durham County Council pays for local services such as education, care services for the elderly and children, libraries and refuse collections. Your Council Tax is also made up of charges for the police and fire service plus town and parish councils (where applicable) and the Charter Trust for the City of Durham for certain residents. It is never an easy decision to make, but this year Durham County Council will need to raise Council Tax by 1.99 percent. At least one person in each household is responsible for paying Council Tax, whether they own the home or rent it, provided they are over 18 years old. If a property is unoccupied, the owner will still be responsible for paying a charge unless the property is exempt. In certain cases there can be an additional premium charge where the property is classed as a ‘long term empty’ (i.e more than 2 years). In relation to the year beginning 2020 and any subsequent year, the Secretary of State made an offer to adult social care authorities. (“Adult social care authorities” are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.) The offer was the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional “precept” on its Council Tax without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting its expenditure on adult social care from the financial year 2016-17. It was originally made in respect of the financial years up to and including 2019-20. If the Secretary of State chooses to renew this offer in respect of a particular financial year, this is subject to the approval of the House of Commons. The government have extended this into 2020-21. Your bill therefore also includes an additional 2 percent adult social care precept. 2 What does my Council Tax help pay for? Council Tax is not a bill for the services you use, but the money we raise from all households in County Durham helps us fund all of our services. This is a snapshot of some of the various services the council deliver each year: • We empty over 6 million rubbish bins and 6 million recycling bins every year • We recycle and compost over 100,000 tonnes of material from kerbside collections and household waste recycling centres • We support 266 schools and colleges, ensuring children have the opportunities to reach their full potential • We maintain 2,300 miles of public roads and 2,112 miles of footpaths • We invest in our leisure centres, parks and open spaces, supporting our health and wellbeing strategy for the people of County Durham • We provide adult and children social care services for the most vulnerable people in our community Valuation of your property Your property has been placed in one of eight bands to allow the council to calculate your Council Tax bill. Band Property values at County Council County Council Adult Police Fire Total 1st April 1991 Precept Social Care Precept Precept Precept Council Tax * £ £ £ £ £ A Not more than £40,000 1,005.81 96.94 143.49 70.32 1,316.56 B £40,001 - £52,000 1,173.44 113.10 167.41 82.04 1,535.99 C £52,001 - £68,000 1,341.08 129.25 191.32 93.76 1,755.41 D £68,001 - £88,000 1,508.71 145.41 215.24 105.48 1,974.84 E £88,001 - £120,000 1,843.98 177.72 263.07 128.92 2,413.69 F £120,001 - £160,000 2,179.25 210.04 310.90 152.36 2,852.55 G £160,001 - £320,000 2,514.52 242.35 358.73 175.80 3,291.40 H More than £320,000 3,017.42 290.82 430.48 210.96 3,949.68 *Excluding local town, parish or Charter Trust Precepts. The Council Tax band allocated to your property is based on what it was valued at in April 1991. All properties are assigned a valuation as at that date, even if they were built recently. It is the Valuation Office Agency (part of HM Revenues and Customs) and not the council that has decided which Council Tax band your property is in. If you think your property band is incorrect you should contact: Council Tax North, Valuation Office Agency, 17th Floor, 53 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LD; online at www.gov.uk or call 03000 501 501. Please note, the council cannot influence the banding of your property. If you submit an appeal against your banding you must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until a final decision is made. Failure to do so will result in recovery action and you may be liable for additional costs. 3 Are you paying too much? You may be entitled to a reduction in the amount you pay depending on your circumstances. Council Tax Reduction (CTR) If you are on a low income, whether in work, unemployed or retired, and have less than £16,000 in savings, you may qualify for this discount. The amount you can get off your bill depends on how much money you have coming in and any savings but you can receive up to 100 percent discount. The amount of discount provided also depends on the number of people living in your home, their ages and their income. Second Adult Reduction (SAR) If you have another adult living in your home that has a low income, you may be able to reduce your Council Tax bill by claiming SAR for that person. You can claim this even if your income and capital is too high for you to receive CTR. How to claim To apply for a CTR or SAR discount, you can claim online at www.durham.gov.uk/counciltaxreduction or call 03000 264 000. Someone will help you make a claim over the telephone or arrange a time for you to visit one of our access points. Reductions for severely mentally impaired people Your Council Tax can be reduced if someone you live with is classed as severely mentally impaired. This includes people with illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s or other severe learning difficulties. To apply please complete a Council Tax Discount Application - Severe Mental Impairment form. Your doctor will need to complete the certificate included in the application form. You can download the form at www.durham.gov.uk/counciltax Reductions for disabled people We can also reduce your Council Tax bill if a disabled person lives in your home and the property has at least one of the following: • A room that is not a bathroom, kitchen or toilet that is mainly used by the disabled person and is essential for their needs • An extra bathroom or kitchen that is essential for the disabled person’s needs • Extra space inside the property so that the disabled person can use their wheelchair indoors Reductions and exemptions for care leavers Care leavers up to the age of 25 living alone are exempt from paying Council Tax if they live within the Durham County Council area. If you live with someone else the Council Tax bill could be reduced to 50 percent. Exemptions Some properties may be exempt from Council Tax if they are unoccupied for certain reasons or occupied by certain groups of people. Examples include: • A property where all the adult occupiers are students • A property where all the adult occupiers are classified as severely mentally impaired • A property left unoccupied when the resident has moved to provide or receive care • A property left unoccupied on the death of the resident Council Tax payer 4 Single Person Discount and Other Council Tax Exemptions You are entitled to a 25 percent discount if you live on your own. Some people are not counted when we work out how many people live in your home. For example anyone under 18, students, apprentices, youth trainees, carers, people in prison and people who are classed as severely mentally impaired. This means you may still get a discount even if you don’t live alone. Council Tax on empty properties If you own an empty property, you still have to pay the full Council Tax on that property. If the property has been empty for more than two years, your property will be liable for additional charges, known as a premium. This premium applies from two years after the property became unoccupied and unfurnished, rather than when you became liable for Council Tax on that property and increases further if the property has been empty for more than 5 years. From 1 April 2020 properties left empty and unfurnished for between two and five years are charged two times the amount of Council Tax as an occupied property. This is a 100 percent premium. Properties left empty and unfurnished for more than five years are charged three times the amount of Council Tax as an occupied property.