News story

5th August 2005

Local Households Hit by Council Tax Bombshell

An administrative error has led to around one hundred South Gloucestershire households receiving huge and unexpected bills for arrears of council tax. In some cases, the demands have been for amounts well in excess of one thousand pounds.

The problem has arisen in cases where properties have been improved and then sold. Under the council tax rules, property improvements can lead to a change in Council Tax banding but only when a property is sold. In these cases however, the Valuation Office failed to tell South Gloucestershire Council that the properties had been revalued at the time they were sold, and householders have only now received bills, in some cases several years after they moved in.

Northavon MP Steve Webb has taken up the cases of several local residents who have been affected and wrote to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to protest on their behalf. In reply, the Government has admitted that the error has affected around 100 local households and says that some financial redress may be available to those who have been affected. Local residents who think they may be affected are invited to contact Steve Webb's office for information on how to claim redress.

Steve Webb said:

"To be told that your home was revalued several years ago without your knowledge and to get a large lump sum bill out of the blue is totally unacceptable. Although the Government has refused to write off all of the arrears, I will be happy to assist any local resident who has been affected to get financial redress."