Council Tax Band Challenge

NoviceintheNorth

I would appreciate advice on my situation.
Using the MSE guide I challenged my Council Tax Band on 7 July 24 and received an acknowledgement 11 days later which stated that they aimed to complete a review within 90 days.
Not having heard, I politely and carefully followed this up on 4 December 24 asking for an update on progress which was acknowledged 8 days later stating it was taking longer than expected due to volume of cases. To date, no further contact from them.
Is this usual and do I need to just sit it out until they reply? Are there any other avenues I can explore?
I had considered contacting my MP but wasn't sure if this would help or hinder.
I am grateful for any suggestions.

Bookworm105

why the rush?
it will take your council as long as it takes them
if they agree with the change then you will not lose out if takes them longer to process

yes you could try and get an MP interested, they may even write a letter, but if the council has a backlog of work then all you are doing is trying to queue jump

lincroft1710

Bookworm105 said:

why the rush?
it will take your council as long as it takes them
if they agree with the change then you will not lose out if takes them longer to process

yes you could try and get an MP interested, they may even write a letter, but if the council has a backlog of work then all you are doing is trying to queue jump

The VOA deal with CT banding, not the council and there is most definitely a backlog, well reported on these boards. I agree there is no need for MP involvement at this stage

Bookworm105

lincroft1710 said:

Bookworm105 said:

why the rush?
it will take your council as long as it takes them
if they agree with the change then you will not lose out if takes them longer to process

yes you could try and get an MP interested, they may even write a letter, but if the council has a backlog of work then all you are doing is trying to queue jump

The VOA deal with CT banding, not the council

technically correct, but irrelevant in the context of OP's time delay question

lincroft1710

Bookworm105 said:

lincroft1710 said:

Bookworm105 said:

why the rush?
it will take your council as long as it takes them
if they agree with the change then you will not lose out if takes them longer to process

yes you could try and get an MP interested, they may even write a letter, but if the council has a backlog of work then all you are doing is trying to queue jump

The VOA deal with CT banding, not the council

technically correct, but irrelevant in the context of OP's time delay question

Not technically correct but actually correct and very relevant as if it was the council, the OP's councillor would be the person to turn to rather than their MP

NoviceintheNorth

Thank you for the replies.
As I was challenging the council tax band the matter was taken up with the VOA, therefore contact with my local Council is not appropriate I would think at this stage. It is now 7 months since I wrote, way beyond the 90 days guide given by them and I was merely trying to see whether others could comment on whether this is usual or not. 
Obviously I have to wait until they reply, but I'd rather not be paying them at a band higher if, as I strongly feel, my house should be based in a band lower. FYI I live in the North and my annual council tax bill for this current year is nearly £4k.

lincroft1710

Unfortunately there is a serious backlog apparently, so like many others you will have to wait until your query reaches the top of the pile. Back in the early days of CT it could easily take 12 months for such queries to be answered. There is no way to expedite your query.

NoviceintheNorth

Many thanks for your situation report comment.