Selby District Council - Your 'Excellent' Council

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Selby District Council

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Standards &
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Council Tax

Council Tax - Important information about Council Tax Bills

Some Council Tax bills issued this month (March 2013) have incorrect information about parish council precepts. This means that the total amount payable will be lower than initially anticipated. We will be issuing new bills to all households over the next few weeks. Please click here for further information.

As part of radical changes to the way Council Tax is administered, there are changes to Council Tax exemption levels for some properties in the Selby district. This could mean that the level of Council Tax you pay may change.

There is also a change to the way in which you can pay your Council Tax. It is really important that you know how these changes may affect you. Click here to find out more.

Methods of Paying

Direct Debit - Paying your Council Tax by direct debit is the easiest, most convenient and cost effective way to pay.

To start paying your Council Tax by Direct Debit please telephone us on 01757 292181 to set this up. If you are not able to telephone us you can download the Direct Debit form and return it to us at the address on the form.

Direct Debit Form - pdf

Other payment methods:

Online - click here to use the Bill Pay function and pay your Council Tax online.
Debit/Credit card - we accept all major debit and credit cards. Please call the 24 hour FREE phone number on 0800 3890170 or call into Access Selby to use the self service machine.
Standing order - Please contact Access Selby for further details. You will need to allow 7 days for your payment to be received by the Council.
Payment Card - You can use the card at any Post Office in the UK or any Payzone outlet offering the Bill Pay facility. Payments will appear on your account in 3 working days. Please contact Access Selby for further details.
National Giro - You must use the Transfer Form provided by the Post Office and quote Selby District Councils Giro Number 6012515 and your Council Tax account number. Please allow 7 days for your payment to be received by the Council.
Payment is due by 10 monthly or 12 monthly instalments, if payments are not kept up to date recovery action will commence.

Paying your Council Tax over 12 months

Normally you are asked to pay your Council Tax over 10 months starting in April. If you pay all of the instalments due you do not have anything left to pay in February and March.

Due to a change in the law everyone now has the right to request payment of council Tax over 12 months. Find out more information by clicking here.

If you are having difficulties paying your Council Tax please contact us immediately on 01757 292181 - don't wait until we send you a reminder. We will be able to advise you of the options available to you and make sure you are getting any discounts/exemptions/benefit you are entitled to.

Registering for Council Tax

You need to tell us if you move home into, out of, or within Selby District so that we can ensure that the Council Tax bill for the property you are living in is correct. The following forms ask for the information that we need. You can fill these out and then either print them off or e-mail them to us at localtaxation@selby.gov.uk

Are you entitled to Council Tax Benefit?

If you would like an estimate of how much benefit you may be entitled to, please telephone us on 01757 292155 and ask for a 'trial assessment'. Then use the online form to make a claim.

This service is also available to enquire about online

What happens to the Council Tax you pay?

We only take a small proportion of the Council Tax that you pay. We collect Council Tax on behalf of all of the Precepting Authorities in the area - that is all of the Authorities that have the right to set a Council Tax charge. The majority of the Council Tax you pay goes to North Yorkshire County Council. Next in line are North Yorkshire Police Authority, then Selby District Council. After that it is North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

The amounts payable for these Authorities is the same wherever you live in the District. Depending on where you live in the District, there is also a charge for the Parish Council, though if you live in Selby itself, this is the Town Council. This charge depends on the amount set by the relevant Parish or Town Council. In some cases there is no charge levied.

For example, If you live in a Band D property in Selby, the Council Tax you pay for the whole of 2013/14 will be divided up among the Precepting Authorities as follows:

North Yorkshire County Council £1,057.48

North Yorkshire Police Authority £204.55

Selby District Council £158.88

Selby Town Council £102.50

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority £62.10

Total Costs £1,585.51

If you live in a Band D property in Monk Fryston the Council Tax payable for the year is:

North Yorkshire County Council £1,057.48

North Yorkshire Police Authority £204.55

Selby District Council £158.88

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority £62.10

Monk Fryston Parish Council £41.56

Total Costs £1,524.57

Council Tax Demand Notice - Explanatory Notes

1. Council Tax Valuation Bands

Most domestic dwellings must pay Council Tax.

There is one bill per dwelling, whether it is a:

House;
Bungalow;
Flat;
Maisonette;
Mobile home;
Houseboat and

whether it is:

Owned; or
Rented.

Each dwelling falls into one of eight bands according to its open market capital value at 1 April 1991.

Valuation Band Range of Values

A = Up to and including £40,000
B = £40,001 -£52,000
C = £52,001 -£68.000
D = £68,001 -£88,000
E = £88,001 -£120,000
F = £120,001 - £160,000
G = £160,001 - £320,000
H = More than £320,000

Your Council Tax bill tells you which band applies to your dwelling. The exact amount you will pay for each valuation band will vary depending on which parish council you live in.

To find out how much you will pay for each valuation band in your parish council for the year please view our Parish Bands:

Parish Council Bands List 2013/14 - doc

2. Discounts

The full Council Tax bill assumes that the dwelling is the sole or main residence of two or more adults.

If only one adult lives in a dwelling (as their main home), we will reduce the Council Tax bill by a quarter (25%).

If you have been granted a discount which you believe you are not entitled to, or you think you are entitled to a discount but of a smaller amount, you are legally required to tell the Council within 21 days. If you fail to do this, you may be fined a £50 penalty.

People in the following groups do not count towards the number of adults resident in a dwelling:

Full time students
Apprentices
Student nurses
Youth training trainees
Patients resident in hospital
People who are being looked after in Care Homes
People who are severely mentally impaired
People staying in certain hostels or night shelters
Careworkers working for low pay (usually for charities)
18 & 19 year olds who are at or have just left school
Members of visiting forces
Members of certain International Institutions
People caring for someone with a disability who is not a spouse, partner or child under 18
People in prison (except those in prison for non payment of Council Tax or a fine)
People with diplomatic privileges and immunities, and
Members of religious communities (monks & nuns).

Downloadable Forms

Single Resident Discount Form - doc

Severe Mentally Impairment - pdf

Disabled Persons - pdf

Detained persons - pdf

Child Benefit - pdf

Change of Circumstances - pdf

3. People with disabilities

If you, or someone who lives with you, need a room, or an extra bathroom or kitchen, or extra space in your property to meet special needs arising from a disability, you may be entitled to a reduced Council Tax bill. The bill may be reduced so that it falls into the band immediately below its normal band.

These reductions ensure that disabled people do not pay more tax on space they need because of a disability. From April 2000 Band 'A' properties have also qualified for the reduced banding.

If you think you may be eligible, please contact the Local Taxation Section for an application form.

You can telephone them on (01757) 292181/2/3 (several lines) or email them at localtaxation@selby.gov.uk

4. Exempt dwellings

Some dwellings are exempt, including those occupied only by students, and vacant properties which are:

Owned by a charity (exempt for up to six months)
Left empty by someone who has gone into prison
Left empty by someone who has moved to receive personal care in a hospital or a home or elsewhere
Left empty by someone who has moved in order to provide personal care to another person
Left empty by students
Waiting for probate or letters of administration to be granted (and for up to six months after)
Have been repossessed
The responsibility of the trustee of a bankrupt
Empty because their occupation is forbidden by law
Waiting to be occupied by a minister of religion
Unoccupied caravan pitches and moorings
Only occupied by people under 18 years old
Empty granny flats/annexes which cannot be let separately
Only occupied by severely mentally impaired people
Occupied by a person who has diplomatic privileges or immunities, or
Granny flats/annexes occupied by an elderly dependant relative aged 65 years or more, or a dependant relative who is substantially or permanently disabled.

Armed Forces barracks and married quarters are also exempt; their occupants will contribute to the cost of local services through a special arrangement. If you think your property may be exempt you should contact the Local Taxation Section.

5. Empty properties

Properties undergoing major structural repairs

Homes that are uninhabitable and unfurnished because of major repairs, renovations or alterations may be eligible to receive a discount of 20% for up to 12 months. This discount can only be applied following a site inspection.

Short-term empty and unfurnished dwellings

Homes that are empty and unfurnished may receive a Council Tax discount for up to six months or until the property becomes occupied. The discount will be 100% for the first calendar month and then 20% for the remaining five months of the discount period.

You cannot claim both the empty & unfurnished discount and the structural repair discount at the same time. You must inform us immediately if the property becomes occupied or no longer qualifies for the discount awarded.

To apply, please contact Access Selby on 01757 705101 or info@selby.gov.uk.

6. Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit can help you pay your Council Tax bill if you are on a low income. From April 2013 it is replaced with Council Tax Support.

Council Tax Support is not a state benefit, but a Council Tax discount scheme. Whilst those of pension age will not see any change, all working age people will see a reduction in the amount of support they receive for Council Tax. Click here to find out more.

Please continue to pay your usual Council Tax as your application does not mean you will automatically qualify for Benefit.

7. Appeals

The grounds for appeal are restricted. These are where:

You believe that the banding should be changed because there has been a material increase or material reduction (this is explained below) in the dwellings value.
You start or stop using part of your dwelling to carry out a business, or the balance between domestic and business use changes.
The Listing Officer has altered a list without a proposal having been made by a taxpayer.
You become the taxpayer in respect of a dwelling for the first time.

You must make your appeal within six months. If the same appeal has already been considered and determined by a Valuation Tribunal, it cannot be made again.

A material increase in value may result from:

Building.
Engineering.
Other work carried out on the dwelling.

In these cases revaluation does not take place until after a sale - so the person appealing would usually be the new owner or resident.

A material reduction in value may result from:

The demolition of any part of the dwelling.
Any change in the physical state of the local area.
An adaptation to make the dwelling suitable for use by someone with a physical disability.

In these cases revaluation should take place as soon as possible.

You may also appeal if you think you are not liable to pay Council Tax. Examples of this could be:

You are not the resident or owner.
Your property is exempt.
Selby District Council has made a mistake in calculating your bill.

If you wish to appeal on these grounds you must first notify the Local Taxation Section in writing that you want your case to be considered. Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment of any Council Tax you owe in the meantime.

If your appeal is successful you will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid tax. Further details of the appeal procedures (including the role of Valuation Tribunals) may be obtained from The Valuation Office Agency, Telephone (01904) 528000 or Selby District Council.

You may also find it useful to visit the Benefits section of our website which deals with Council Tax Benefits.

Failure to pay

If you get into arrears with your instalments we will send a reminder showing how much you need to pay to bring your account up to date. We will not issue any more than two reminders in each financial year. If you do not pay, or you bring your account up to date but fail to make future payments on time, you will lose the right to pay by instalments, a Final Notice will be issued and the full charge will become due.

If this happens and you do not pay the full charge, a summons will be issued and the council will take action through the Magistrates' Court to obtain a liability order against you. All costs associated with this action will be added to your bill.

A liability order gives the Council further powers to collect the debt, these include:

Attachment to Earnings/Benefits.
Distress - your case may be passed to a bailiff to recover the debt which may involve taking and selling your goods and you will be liable for any bailiff costs.
Charging Order - if you own any property the Council may apply for a charging order and in the event of your property being sold any equity will go towards paying your Council Tax liability.
Insolvency - the Council may petition the Court to make you bankrupt.
Commital to Prison - the Council may go back to the Magistrates Court and request you be committed to prison for a period of up to 3 months.

Council Tax Scams

There are two types of Council Tax scams that we are aware of:

Council Tax Refunds

People have received telephone calls from people claiming to be working for the Council promising a refund of Council Tax and asking for their bank details. We never contact people to ask for their bank details in such cases and you should not give these details out over the phone. Where payment has been received by cheque, we will refund by cheque. Where we have received payment by Direct Debit we already hold your bank details and will process any refund to the same account.

In rare circumstances we may ask you to verify that we are sending money to the correct account, especially if payment details have changed, but in doing so we are asking you to confirm that the information we are quoting is correct - we will not ask you to provide bank account information we do not already hold. If you are in any doubt that a call you receive is genuine, ask for the caller's name and tell them you will call them back; end the call and telephone 01757 292181.

Council Tax Re-Banding

A number of companies charge people to appeal against the Council Tax Band their property is in. They may telephone you or appear at your door. You do not need to pay anyone to appeal against your Council Tax Band. Council Tax Bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) who have provided some helpful advice on their website on 'how to deal with scams'.

The VOA have produced a guide called 'What to do if you disagree with your council tax banding'.