Council Tax - Newcastle City Council

2007-2008
Council Tax
Important information
for people who pay
council tax
www.newcastle.gov.uk

Council Tax enquiries
If you need more information about your council tax, you can do the following.
Phone us
We are open from Monday to Friday between 8.00am and 6.00pm.
The phone number is 0845 111 4101. Please do not use the Civic Centre number.
If you have hearing difficulties, a minicom link is available on 0191 211 4944.
Write to us
You can write to the City Treasurer at:
PO Box 1UP
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 1UP.
(We aim to answer or acknowledge all the letters we receive within 15 working days.) Please use
black or dark ink when you write to us.
Call in person
Our staff will be pleased to help you at the Customer Service Centres at the Civic Centre,
East End (Shields Road), Outer West (Denton Park Shopping Centre), Kenton Centre (Hillsview
Avenue).
The Customer Service Centres are open on Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
If you need information about the valuation band your home is in, please contact:
The Valuation Office Agency Listing Officer
Eagle Star House
Regent Centre
Gosforth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 3TW.
Phone: 0191 220 7000
E-mail
If you need more information about the City Council, write to us or visit the website at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax or e-mail us at council.tax@newcastle.gov.uk
This booklet and our financial information booklet are both part of your council tax bill for the year
beginning 01 April 2007. Your bill may also show any outstanding balance you owe from the year
01 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
You can also get all the information in this leaflet on audio cassette,
in large print and in Braille by contacting us on 0845 111 4101.
2

How much you will pay
Your council tax bill is based on the value
of your home, and how many adults live
there.
Your home has been put into one of eight
valuation bands, depending on its market
value as at 1 April 1991.
Our council tax levels for 1 April 2007 to
31 March 2008 are shown opposite.
Legislation means that we must show
the percentage increase between last
year’s and this year’s charge.
If you are the new council tax payer of
a property, you could be affected by
improvements made to your property by
the previous owner.
When ownership changes, the band can be increased if your property has been extended or
improved since 1993.
Appeals
Valuation band appeals
If you think your property is in the wrong valuation band, you can appeal to the Valuation Office
Agency Listing Officer at the address on page 2. You can only appeal in the following circumstances.
• If you have made structural alterations to your home, for example, you have made improvements
for someone living with you who has special needs.
• If you have knocked down part of the property.
• If part of your home is now used for business purposes.
• If part of your home was used for business purposes but isn’t now.
• If the valuation of your home has been changed without your knowledge.
• If you are paying council tax for the first time. (If this is the case, you must appeal within six months
of you becoming responsible for paying council tax.)
Council Tax appeals
For all other appeals, for example if you think:
• you are not responsible for the council tax;
• council tax should not be charged for your home; or
• your council tax bill is wrong;
contact us on 0845 111 4101.
Valuation Your property’s Council Tax
band value at 01/04/91 1 April 2007 to
31 March 2008
A Up to £40,000 929.14
B £40,001 to £52,000 1083.99
C £52,001 to £68,000 1238.85
D £68,001 to £88,000 1393.71
E £88,001 to £120,000 1703.43
F £120,001 to £160,000 2013.14
G £160,001 to £320,000 2322.85
H £320,001 or more 2787.42
Even if you are making an appeal, this doesn’t mean that you can stop paying the council tax
you owe. If your appeal is successful and your bill is reduced, we will adjust your payments
or give you a refund.
3

How to pay less
‘Disregarded’ adults
These are adults who are not counted when we work out your council tax bill.
These ‘disregarded’ adults include:
• people living in certain hostels;
• students, apprentices, student nurses and youth training trainees, (students can apply
on-line using the website);
• school leavers under 20;
• diplomats and members of international institutions and defence organisations;
• members of religious communities;
• carers;
• people who are permanently and severely mentally impaired;
• 18-year-olds who someone else gets Child Benefit for;
• people living in hospital, nursing or care homes; and
• people in prison (except those who are in prison for not paying their council tax).
Exempt properties
Council Tax is not charged for some properties known as ‘exempt’ properties.
The main examples are as follows.
Properties that are left empty because:
• the person who lived there has gone into prison, hospital or a care home;
• the person who lived there has moved to provide care somewhere else; or
• the person who lived there has died.
Empty properties that are also:
• newly built;
• not fit to be lived in, or having/needing repairs;
• unfurnished;
• part of another property and cannot be separately let;
• waiting for a minister of religion to move in; or
• repossessed by a mortgage company.
Occupied properties that are:
• student halls of residence;
• lived in by students only;
• lived in by severely mentally impaired people only; or
• lived in by people under 18 only.
Inspections
Sometimes, staff from our Revenues Division may visit you to get information to update our
records. All our staff carry identity cards, but if you are in any doubt you should contact our
Revenues Division on 0191 277 8869.
4

How to pay less (continued)
Discounts
The full council tax bill assumes that two adults (18 and over) live in your home. However, you
may be entitled to a discount if:
• only one adult lives in your home - 25% discount;
• no adults live in your home - 10% or 50% discount;
• all the adults living in your home are ‘disregarded’ (see page 4) - 50% discount; or
• all but one of the adults in your home are ‘disregarded’ - 25% discount.
Benefits
Call 0845 111 4101 or e-mail benefits@newcastle.gov.uk
If you are on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Guarantee Credit or a low income
you may qualify for Council Tax Benefit of up to your full council tax bill.
If you are a single person responsible for paying council tax and you share your home with
someone over 18 who is:
• ’disregarded’;
• has a low income;
• not your partner; or
• not paying you rent;
you may be able to claim a benefit, called a Second Adult Rebate.
From April 2005 we ignore War Disablement and War Widow’s Pension when we assess Housing
Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
You can get more details and application forms from any of our Community Housing Offices or
Customer Service Centres which are listed on page 8 of this leaflet.
Pay now not later
We are determined to collect all the council tax and other money we are owed.
We must receive your payments on or before the due date shown on your demand.
Your prompt payment helps to keep our costs down for the benefit of all our residents.
If you have any difficulty keeping up with your payments, please telephone us on 0845 111 4101
as soon as possible.
Our Contact Centre can give you advice on:
• your payment arrangements;
• how you can claim Council Tax Benefit;
• how you can get discounts and exemptions; and
• where you can get debt advice.
Don’t leave it too late - missing your council tax payments and ignoring our reminders could
cost you more in the long run.
If you don’t pay your council tax when it’s due, we will take court action against you to recover
the full year’s council tax. You may also have to pay extra costs if this happens.
5

How you can pay
Direct debit
The easiest way to pay your council tax is by direct debit. You may already pay your gas, electricity,
phone or water bills by direct debit. If so, you already know about the advantages of paying this way.
If you pay your council tax by direct debit it cuts our collection costs and makes our service more
efficient and cost-effective.
Fill in the direct debit form attached to your payment slips or print off a form from the website. We
will arrange for your bank or building Society to make payments straight to us.
If you want more details, contact us on phone number 0845 111 4101, or you can get a direct debit
leaflet from the Customer Service Centres and Community Housing Offices (see page 8).
Other ways you can pay
In person
You can pay your council tax in person at the Customer Service Centres in the Civic Centre,
Outer West (Denton Park Shopping Centre), East End (Shields Road), The Walker Centre (Church
Walk) or Kenton Centre (Hillsview Avenue). They are open Monday to Friday between 8.30am and
4.30pm. You can also pay your council tax at Gosforth or Benwell community housing offices,
(see page 8).
You should make your cheques payable to ‘Newcastle City Council’.
By Swipe cards
Swipe Cards are available for use at the Customer Service Centres and Gosforth and Benwell
Community Housing Offices or other outlets throughout the City.
For further information contact us on 0845 111 4101 or visit the Council Tax website at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax
By debit or credit card*
By phone on the direct line number on your bill.
By Internet*
See the Councils website at www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax
By Automated Payment Centre*
Telephone 0845 111 4199 to pay by Debit or Credit Card*
Both Internet and APC services are available 24 hours 7 days a week.
By post
By Handitill
Post your payments to:
Handitill is a self-service facility located at the
City Treasurer
Civic Centre and East End Customer Service Centres.
Civic Centre PO Box 2PT
Just call in and one of our staff will help you.
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 2PT.
If you pay by post do not send cash. Send us a payment slip or write your council tax account reference
on the back of your cheque or postal order. If you want us to send you a receipt, please send us a
stamped self-addressed envelope with your payment.
If you can’t pay your council tax every month, we may accept your payments every week or fortnight.
Please contact us on 0845 111 4101 if you need more advice.
*We are currently reviewing our policy on credit card payments and these may require a handling
charge. You will be advised before you make payment.
6

Disabled relief
This is a scheme of relief to help if your household includes someone with a disability. To qualify,
your home must be:
• lived in by someone who is permanently and severely disabled; and
• adapted to meet this person’s special needs.
If you qualify for disabled relief, your council tax bill will be reduced to that for a property in the
next lowest valuation band.
This scheme was extended, from 1 April 2000, to include properties in band A. If you qualify, you
will get a reduction of 1/9 of the council tax for a property in band D.
If you have made any special adaptations to your home for a person with a disability, and this has
lowered your home’s value (but you don’t think the valuation officer has taken this into account
when your property was valued), please contact:
The Valuation Office Agency Listing Officer
Eagle Star House
Regent Centre
Gosforth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 3TW.
Phone: 0191 220 7000
If you think you may qualify for a benefit, discount, exemption or disabled relief, please contact
us on phone number 0845 111 4101.
If you have already had a discount but your circumstances have changed, you must tell us within
21 days. If you don’t, you may have to pay a penalty of £50.
Data protection
The information we hold on your account will be used by us for the purposes of administering and
collecting council tax. It may be used as part of an exercise to make sure you are receiving all
the benefits and discounts to which you are entitled.
We must protect the public money we handle, therefore we can use the information to detect and
prevent fraud.
Information we hold may be verified with external agencies.
For the same reasons we may exchange information with other organisations who also handle
public money.
You have the right to see any information that we hold about you subject to certain conditions.
The Freedom of Information Act came into force on 1 January 2005. This gives you the right to see
any information that we hold about the Council's business subject to certain exemptions.
If you need advice on asking for this information, you can contact our Freedom of Information
Officer by phoning 0191 211 6644 or by e-mail at freedomofinformation@newcastle.gov.uk
7

Community Housing Offices and
Customer Service Centres
If you think you may be entitled to Council Tax Benefit you can ask for advice at
these offices or by phoning 0845 111 4101.
E-mail: benefits@newcastle.gov.uk
You can pay by cash, cheque, postal order or debit/credit card at the following offices:
●
North Benwell Community Housing Office
68a Adelaide Terrace ★
●
●
●
●
●
●
Civic Centre Customer Service Centre
Sandyford Road
East End Customer Service Centre
137 Shields Road
Gosforth Community Housing Office
Council Offices, High Street ★
The Kenton Centre
Hillsview Avenue
Outer West Customer Service Centre
Denton Park Shopping Centre
Walker Centre
Church Walk
Opening times are 8.30am to 4.30pm with the exception of the offices
marked ★ which are open from 8.30am to 4pm apart from Wednesday when they
close at 3pm.
Your Council Tax pays for:
• education • social services • housing • leisure • transport • public health
• improving your environment • police • fire service
• planning and development
8
Designed and Produced by N D S JOB 72814 • GW 21/05/07 Job