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Council Tax

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Comments

  • sparky130a
    sparky130a Posts: 660 Forumite
    CIS wrote: »
    The higher bands, E and above, have been hammered in Scotland to raise extra monies. It's not reasonable and shows what a mess the current banding system is (and the ability of the government to use it as a revenue generation scheme)

    Craig

    How they raise it is one thing...

    It's how they then waste it that bothers most people.
  • teddysmum
    teddysmum Posts: 9,471
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    sparky130a wrote: »
    How they raise it is one thing...

    It's how they then waste it that bothers most people.
    Our council is into vanity projects ie new buildings when the 'old' ones are under 20 years old and have already had expensive refurbishments , then say they must cut down on all kinds of services such as street lighting, swimming pools that can be used by the disabled, libraries (though well used), grass cutting etc.


    Our new band C bill is £1308 ; up by 2.8%. However, there is an asterisk on a note explaining about the social care fund , but the increase for it is zero. The increases are 1% on general council matters, 2% on policing and 1.8% on the fire service, making a 2.8% increase on the band's charges.
  • worried_jim
    worried_jim Posts: 11,631
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    £1326 band B Adur DC. Try not to think about it.
  • sparky130a
    sparky130a Posts: 660 Forumite
    teddysmum wrote: »
    Our council is into vanity projects ie new buildings when the 'old' ones are under 20 years old and have already had expensive refurbishments , then say they must cut down on all kinds of services such as street lighting, swimming pools that can be used by the disabled, libraries (though well used), grass cutting etc.


    I'd imagine most are. After all if it's someone else's money your pi55ing up the wall..
    Band A

    City council 1.8% increase
    Supposed adult social care 3.0% increase
    Police and crime commissioner (oh the irony of that title) 3.1% increase
    Fire authority 1.9%

    So in summary the one service that truly saves lives and deserves respect managed the least gain. Brilliant.
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,967
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    The way they've hit the higher bands is absolutely not reasonable. Many people aren't made of money just because their house is worth more than average. And ours is the same tax band as houses across the street worth 2-3x what ours is.

    An extra £40 a month, just to watch the council waste it on the very same vanity projects mentioned above.

    Look up Lenzie Station north proposals... see what they are calling 'designs'...it's sickening.
  • sparky130a
    sparky130a Posts: 660 Forumite
    glasgowdan wrote: »
    The way they've hit the higher bands is absolutely not reasonable. Many people aren't made of money just because their house is worth more than average. And ours is the same tax band as houses across the street worth 2-3x what ours is.

    An extra £40 a month, just to watch the council waste it on the very same vanity projects mentioned above.

    Look up Lenzie Station north proposals... see what they are calling 'designs'...it's sickening.

    By it's very definition LA taxes will never be popular.

    Unlike central funds one can see what is and isn't been spent on in your own environment.

    But you're bang on, in general LA's have for far too long been afforded too little accountability as to their spending.
  • Mr.Generous
    Mr.Generous Posts: 3,333
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    £1615 Band D Cheshire.

    1.9 % increase to be wasted by the council
    3 % increase for adult social care *
    2 % increase to fund a police commissioner's biscuits
    2 % increase for the fire service
    1 % increase parish council

    * Adult social care sounds like the elderly, did you know your council provides houses and 24 hr carers for numerous 18-24 yr old's where the parents can't be arsed looking after them?

    Council Tax, what wonderful value for money it provides. new offices for our council too, and they refuse to disclose the expenditure. Oh a couple of £m earmarked for a travellers transit camp - they wont divulge the location until after sensitive local elections!
  • Kim_13
    Kim_13 Posts: 2,314
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    edited 14 March 2017 at 7:57PM
    Just received our Council Tax bill for 2017/18.... £1,846.


    Seems a lot to me but we are in Berkshire, SE England


    Anyone else had theirs yet?

    Ours isn't going to be much better and is only a Band D!

    Band E in our area will now be more than £2,000.

    All they know is vanity projects, funding technology for themselves (every year) and making road layouts more dangerous. Potholes, grass etc are always left until the last minute in the tax year. Apparently the council leader earns more than Theresa May! They get free parking (having decided that one of their vanity projects aka office didn't have enough parking, they have staff park in a nearby car park; I should add that everyone else has to pay the council something like 300% more to park there vs the old charges.)

    As was said on the news, taxpayers don't have bottomless pockets. Not that the councils care because they know the majority will go without other things that can't land them in prison for not paying.
  • ellie27
    ellie27 Posts: 1,097
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    glasgowdan wrote: »
    East Dunbartonshire, now £3000! Band G, gone up £400... Not too chuffed at all.

    Yes, I was about to same exact same thing!:(
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596
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    Adult social care sounds like the elderly, did you know your council provides houses and 24 hr carers for numerous 18-24 yr old's where the parents can't be arsed looking after them?

    But it is mostly going to be care for the elderly, isn't it? And you might also wonder why their families aren't looking after them?
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