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Council Tax General Information

How we provide this service

Council tax general information is supported by Finance, Benefits and Revenues.

Council Tax Levels for 2008/09

The District Council provides a wide range of services to you and your family. This year, the District will spend £46.1 million on providing you with a range of services. These include:

- Providing a weekly service for both refuse and recycling throughout the District
- Providing a range of leisure services
- Keeping our towns and villages clean and tidy
- Providing affordable housing and homelessness accommodation, including housing advice
- Inspecting food premises
- Processing planning applications
- Processing Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit applications

We are committed to delivering Value for Money services to the Community.

In order to make sure that we are allocating our resources to priorities to provide services that you need, we have undertaken consultation exercises to find out your views.

The council is continuing to build upon its priorities in 2008-09. These are: taking care of our villages and towns and supporting efforts to deal with anti-social behaviour; delivering our Economic Strategy to improve the quality of life and economic prospects for current and future residents; continuing with our Affordable Homes plan; improving leisure facilities in the District; improving Democratic Community Leadership and making it easier for residents to access services.

The majority of money to pay for services comes from Government Grants and fees and charges, leaving £4.862 million to come from Council Tax. South Holland District Council is responsible for collecting council tax for the County Council and the Police Authority as well as for our services. Less than 11% of your council tax is for District Council Tax spending. This means a household paying Band D council tax will pay £149.18 (£2.87 a week) to fund the very wide range of SHDC services.

Fax: 01775 711253
Email: counciltax@sholland.gov.uk
Address: South Holland District Council, Benefit and Revenues Team, PO Box 8, Priory Road, Spalding, Lincs. PE11 2XQ

What to do to get this service

Contact the office by telephone, letter, e-mail or personal visit

Further Information on this service

For more information, the following leaflets are available for reading and downloading by clicking on them:

SHDC Substitute Council Tax 2008-2009

SHDC Substitute Council Tax Booklet 2008-2009

SHDC Council Tax 2008-2009

SHDC Council Tax Booklet 2008-2009

Previous years figures are available here

SHDC Council Tax 2007-2008

SHDC Council Tax Booklet 2007-2008

SHDC Council Tax 2006-2007

SHDC Council Tax Booklet 2006-2007

SHDC Council Tax 2005-2006

SHDC Council Tax Booklet 2005-2006

If you are finding it hard to pay your council tax, please read the pages on this website about discounts, exemptions and council tax benefit that you can claim to help reduce your bill. This information is also given on pages 3,4 and 5 "Your guide to Council Tax, Budgets and Performance in South Holland" that we sent with your first council tax bill of the year.

If you have a question regarding your Council Tax all you need to do is contact us by telephone letter e-mail or personal visit. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions in the section called Common Questions. Read through the list, this may save you time and a telephone call.

Who can apply?

Any person over 18 who is liable or to become liable for Council tax

Contact Name for this service

Council Tax Billing Section

Telephone number for this service

01775 761161

Common Questions

Q. What do I get for my council tax - apart from my bin being emptied once a week?
A. Council tax is not a direct payment for services received. It is a means whereby each householder contributes towards the cost of services provided in their locality. Their contribution is based on the capital value of their dwelling.

Council tax bills include elements for Lincolnshire County Council (71p in every £1), Lincolnshire Police Authority (16.5p in every £1), South Holland District Council (10.5p in every £1) and a parish amount (2p in every £1 on average). Leaflets issued with the bills show which services each authority spends its share on.

Q. How is my council tax calculated?
A. The Council sets the 'standard' level of council tax (called the Band D tax level) in March each year. Each home is in one of eight valuation bands. The actual tax paid depends upon which valuation band the house is in.

Q. Why are there so many different elements on my bill?
A. The Council acts as a collection agent for Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Police Authority and the Parish Councils in the area. These organisations set their own budgets and South Holland District Council bills and collects council tax on their behalf as well as for itself. Only about 1/9th of the total collected is actually for South Holland District Council.

Q. How do you control the levels of Parish Council precepts and Drainage Board levies?
A. This Council has no control over Parish Council and Drainage Board finances. They are free to set their own levels of precepts and levies.

Q. How can I pay my council tax bill?
A. For information and instructions on how to pay the Council visit the Payments page of the Council website at www.sholland.gov.uk/payments/default.htm

Q. Why are you taking me to court already for the full year when it is only June and the year runs from April to March?
A. By law we have to give everyone the right to pay in monthly instalments over 10 months. The Council has chosen 1 April and each month thereafter until 1 January as its instalment dates. This means that you can always "pay after pay day"because you won't usually have an instalment in February or March. Just put money aside after pay day in those months ready for the first instalment due on 1 April. April's pay day can then be used for the 1 May instalment and so on throughout the year. If payments are not made by the due dates, we have to send reminders promptly before people get too far behind and then find it even harder to bring their accounts up to date. If these reminders are not properly responded to, a final notice can be sent which removes the customer's right to pay by instalments for the rest of the year. The full year then becomes due and can be recovered in the courts as early as June. So the message is, please pay on time or in advance.

Q. What should I do if I think my banding is too high?
A. Please contact the Valuation Officer their address is
The Listing Office
Valuation Office Agency
Queensgate House
12 Silver Street
Lincoln
LN2 1EW

Telephone number 01522 340300

Q. What should I do if I am moving house?
A. Please contact us by telephone or in person and we will take the details and amend our records or you can complete the change in occupancy form. [Council Tax Guidance Notes]

Further Common Questions

Q. Why do I have to pay council tax on empty properties?
A. The reason for this is that the government wants to discourage owners from leaving property empty. They believe that such properties create extra costs for councils because they can encourage vandalism, crime, accumulation of rubbish, vermin and general nuisance. It is felt that the owners should contribute towards these costs especially as they benefit from other locally provided services like police, fire, roads, and such like.

Q. I am not paying my council tax because I am not satisfied with the standard of certain services. Presumably that's OK?
A. No, if you stop paying, we are obliged to commence recovery action against you. Your liability to pay in law is not affected by an shortcomings in local authority services. The thing to do, is pursue the matter with the local authority who is responsible for providing the service you are aggrieved about. Escalate it through their official complaints procedure if necessary and ultimately involve your local councillor and/or the Ombudsman as appropriate.

Q. Do I still have to pay if I have an appeal outstanding on my council tax? If so, can I have interest on any overpayment?
A. Yes you do still have to pay. The law clearly states that payment is still due irrespective of any appeal or benefit claim that may be outstanding. This is because there are separate legal avenues for pursuing such outstanding matters. If withholding payment was allowed in such circumstances that would encourage frivolous appeals and claims. You CANNOT get interest on overpaid council tax - there is no provision in law to allow it - so it would be illegal for the council to pay it.

Q. Can I have a discount for prompt payment? I've paid the full year up front.
A. The power to do this is at the discretion of the Council and the current policy is not to offer it in any circumstances. It is felt that to do so would discriminate against the poorer section of the community who could not afford to pay very far in advance. The better off can afford to pay up front, but they don't have to! Giving them a discount would be to their advantage, but it would be at the expense of the less well off.

Q. I do not get paid until 28th of the month, can I pay then?
A. No - or you will fall into arrears and receive a reminder the first time you do it. If you do it again, you will lose the right to pay by monthly instalments. As we don't ask for payments in February and March, why not use those two months' income to put enough aside for your April instalment. This way, you still only pay the same monthly amount (albeit a few days in advance) and you will then have January and February when you do not have to pay. Put another way, everyone can pay after pay day if they follow this simple advice!

Q. What should I do if I want to pay by Direct Debit?
A. Please complete the direct debit form and send it to the Council Offices Direct Debit

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Contact Details

If you have any queries about the information provided above, or require further information, please contact Customer Services on 01775 761161 or email info@sholland.gov.uk.