Council Tax Information
The Council Tax provides part of the money
that is needed to administer the services that our local
communities need, for example schools, policing, providing support
to the elderly and vulnerable, the maintenance of parks and open
spaces, getting rid of our rubbish and keeping our streets clean.
Your Council Tax is a local tax, based on the value of your
property, and it helps to finance the services provided by Bedford
Borough Council, the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner
for Bedfordshire, Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Authority,
and (where applicable) Town and Parish Councils.
Information to accompany a Council Tax demand notice
Information concerning Special Area Charges can be found on
page 9 of the leaflet downloadable from the above link.
Click
here for information relating to the expenditure of
Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Authority
Click
here for information relating to the expenditure of the Office
of Police & Crime Commissioner for
Bedfordshire
If you require a paper copy of any of these
leaflets please email the local taxation
office or telephone 01234 718097
Changes to Council Tax from 1 April 2013
From 1 April 2013 the Council will have
greater powers to decide how much help low income households should
receive with the cost of Council Tax, and how much Council Tax to
charge for certain types of empty properties.
Council Tax Reduction
The Council agreed a new Council Tax
Reduction scheme to replace the existing Council Tax Benefit scheme
at a meeting held on 16 January 2013. The scheme is similar to the
new national scheme set out in the Council Tax Reduction
Scheme (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations 2012 but with
some variations.
Details of the scheme are available by
clicking the links below:
Council Tax
Reduction Scheme 2013/14
Council Tax
Reduction Scheme (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations
2012
The Council's scheme will ensure that most
households receiving help with the cost of Council Tax through
Council Tax Benefit will continue to receive the same amount of
help and will not have to pay any more than they do now. If you are
working age and currently live in a property in Council Tax Band F,
G or H, or you receive Second Adult Rebate you may have to pay more
Council Tax from April 2013 Further information will be sent to
anyone affected by the changes in the next few weeks.
Changes to Unoccupied Dwellings
The law is changing from 1 April 2013 and the current
exemption available to an unoccupied and substantially unfurnished
property ( Class C exemption) and to a property
which requires or is undergoing major repair to render it
habitable or undergoing structural alterations (Class A
exemption) will be abolished fom 1 April 2013.
The Council determined at a meeting on 16 January 2013 that
from 1 April 2013 there will be no discount for a property
which is
(a) unoccupied and substantially unfurnished, or
(b) undergoing or requiring major repairs to render it habitable
or undergoing structural repair.
The Council also resolved that a 50% premium will be added to
the Council Tax payable on a property that has been unoccupied and
substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of two years or
more.
Changes to Second Homes
The Council further resolved that the existing discount of 10%
available where a property is unoccupied but remains furnished
or is occupied as a second home will be withdrawn from 1 April
2013.
A Council Taxpayer may be entitled to 50%
discount in the Council Tax for a second home if they are liable to
pay Council Tax on the second home and their main home and
either of those properties is job related.
A dwelling is job-related for a person if it
is provided for him by reason of his employment, in any of the
following cases -
(a) Where it is necessary for the proper
performance of the duties of the employment that the employee
should reside in that dwelling.
(b) Where the dwelling is provided for the
better performance of the duties of the employment, and it is one
of the kinds of employment in the case of which it is customary for
employers to provide dwellings to employees.
(c) Where, there being a special threat to the
employee’s security, special security arrangements are in force and
the employee resides in the dwelling as part of those
arrangements.”
Whilst it may often be convenient for a person
to live local to their work, the property must be provided by an
employer under a contract of employment and they must be required
to live in that particular property in order to qualify for the 50%
discount.
Useful Links
Direct
Debit Instruction
Council Tax Discount & Exemption
Application Forms
How to pay
your Council Tax
Council Tax Charges
Council Tax Explanatory Notes
To ask a question about your Council Tax Account, please click
here.
To notify the Council Tax Office of a change of address, please
click here
To notify the Council Tax Office of a change in circumstances,
please click here
Click
here to download a Change of Address Notification
Council Tax Useful
Links
Fair Debt
Collection Policy updated May 2012
Attachment
Orders
Bailiffs Code
of Practice
Statistical Analysis of Numbers and Bandings of
Dwellings in each area
Council Tax and Data Protection
How we will use your information
The information that you provide will be processed in accordance
with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and relevant
legislation. This authority has a duty to protect public funds it
administers, and may use information held about you for the
prevention and detection of fraud and other lawful purposes. This
may include, but not be limited to, matching council tax data with
Electoral Registration records. The council will also use the
information for the purpose of performing any of its statutory
enforcement duties. It will make any disclosures required by law
and may also share this information with other bodies responsible
for auditing or administering public funds. We will not disclose
your personal information to third parties for marketing
purposes.
National Fraud Initiative
The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) is the
Audit Commission’s data matching exercise that tackles a broad
range of fraud risks faced by the public sector. This means the
Audit Commission is to cross check claims for council tax single
occupier discount against other databases held by them. For more
information please go to http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/
(link opens in a new window).
Click here for more information about about data matching and the
fair processing notice.