Council tax increase

Delidi

Hi I live on my own and my Council tax has gone up £17 a month. I get single person discount but will now be paying £101 a month. My Single person discount is £337 if I had someone live with me and we split bills equally we would pay about £56 each a month. How is this fair ? Only one income surely it should be I pay half of what two people would pay? I work full-time pay all my bills three quarters of my income is just bills . Is it like this for every one living on their own?

unforeseen

Council tax is not based on household income. If you had somebody living with you who did not work such as stay at home partner then you wouldn't even get the discount. 

Delidi

Perhaps I should add my adult daughter recently moved out but when she did live here and she works that was taken into account and she was requested to pay towards the council tax bill. I get its the property that is valued just doesn't seem a fair way to work it out . Council tax is based on two people living at the address surely the single person discount should be half the bill? And yes if I had a stay at home partner presumably on a benefit if they had no income there would be a different discount? I'm just struggling to pay everything on my own its seems £204 CT increase is excessive I'm band A and I'm furloughed until hopefully April just wondering if this is how it is for others? Thank you for your response

maisie_cat

Living alone is expensive, virtually nothing is half the cost of 2 people living somewhere. In terms of council tax, the main council service we use is the bin collection, they still  have to collect the bins regardless of the actual amount of waste.
Many councils have increased by 5% this coming year, I think that's the maximum, how has yours increased by 20%?
From your numbers you are paying over 10 months, are you sure you were not paying over 12 months last year.?

es5595

I’m in the same boat as you. 

I’d be more than happy for bin collections to drop to once a month as it takes me that long to even consider putting it out.

You look at HMO’s, you could have three families living there and it’s still only 25% more than one person there alone. 

I do agree an overhaul of council tax is long due, the issue is, how would you make it fairer? 

Silvertabby

es5595 said:

I’m in the same boat as you. 

I’d be more than happy for bin collections to drop to once a month as it takes me that long to even consider putting it out.

You look at HMO’s, you could have three families living there and it’s still only 25% more than one person there alone. 

I do agree an overhaul of council tax is long due, the issue is, how would you make it fairer? 

How about a system based on the number of working adults per house?  Perhaps we could call it the  'Poll Tax'?

Delidi

I have emailed the council querying the increase I pay over 12 months and yes the 2.05% increase just doesn't add up . I'm definitely not finding it any cheaper on my own with so many things being means tested nowadays some just need an overhaul. My Council tax pays for my stairwell and surround to be cleaned Its never once happened in my 12years here! Oh well I am grateful for all I have hopefully they will get back and its a mistake.

TELLIT01

The Conservative government tried to introduce a much fairer system where all adults in a household would have to contribute but Opposition parties prevented its introduction.

MovingForwards

Delidi said:

I have emailed the council querying the increase I pay over 12 months and yes the 2.05% increase just doesn't add up . I'm definitely not finding it any cheaper on my own with so many things being means tested nowadays some just need an overhaul. My Council tax pays for my stairwell and surround to be cleaned Its never once happened in my 12years here! Oh well I am grateful for all I have hopefully they will get back and its a mistake.

No it doesn't, that will be a service charge or something which pays for your stairwell to be cleaned. 

daveyjp

maisie_cat said:

Living alone is expensive, virtually nothing is half the cost of 2 people living somewhere. In terms of council tax, the main council service we use is the bin collection, they still  have to collect the bins regardless of the actual amount of waste.
Many councils have increased by 5% this coming year, I think that's the maximum, how has yours increased by 20%?
From your numbers you are paying over 10 months, are you sure you were not paying over 12 months last year.?

I suspect the main Council service you use isn't bin collection, but transportation.