Council Tax - Newcastle City Council

Council Tax
2011-2012
Important information for people who pay council tax
Council Tax enquiries page 2
How much you will pay page 4
What does your council do for you page 5
Appeals page 9
How to pay less page 11
How you can pay page 15
Pay on time page 18
Data protection page 19
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 Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.
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 Director of Finance and Resources at:
PO Box 429
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 3AF
(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),
Gosforth (Regent Farm Road), The Walker Centre (Church Walk)
or West End (Condercum Road).
The Customer Service Centres are open Monday to Friday between
8.30am and 4.30pm.
Please have your bill or letter available when contacting us.
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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: 0300 050 6200
Email
If you need more information about the City Council, write to
us or visit the website at www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax or email
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 1 April 2011.
Your bill may also show any outstanding balances you owe for
the years commencing 1 April 2005 and ending 31 March 2011.
You can also get all the information in this booklet on
audio cassette, in large print, in Braille or in another
language by contacting us on 0845 111 4101
or email: counciltaxtechsupport@newcastle.gov.uk
Newcastle City Council is committed to equalities and diversity
and this document is available in different formats as listed
above.
If you require independent advice on the contents of this
document please contact either Newcastle Citizens Advice Bureau
on phone number 0191 232 1602 or Welfare Rights at Newcastle
City Council on phone number 0191 277 2633.
3

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 2011 to 31 March 2012 are
shown below.
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.
Valuation Your property’s Council Tax
band value at 1 April 1991 1 April 2011
to
31 March 2012
A Up to £40,000 £1007.50
B £40,001 to £52,000 £1175.41
C £52,001 to £68,000 £1343.33
D £68,001 to £88,000 £1511.26
E £88,001 to £120,000 £1847.10
F £120,001 to £160,000 £2182.93
G £160,001 to £320,000 £2518.76
H £320,001 or more £3022.52
4

What does your council
do for you
We try our hardest to give you value for money for your council
tax. We cover a huge range of services - some of which you may
not realise we do.
Keeping Newcastle clean and green
Keeping our city clean and looking good is a top priority for us.
We get rid of household rubbish as well as the litter from our
streets, and we encourage residents, businesses and visitors to
recycle as much waste as possible. We work closely with schools
and link important messages about recycling, littering and good
environmental practice through the school curriculum. We are
doing our bit to combat climate change and the effect it could
have on our city.
Fact:
We were crowned the most sustainable city in the UK for
the second year running.
From April 2009 to March 2010 we recycled 41% of the
city’s waste.
10 of the city’s parks have been awarded a Green Flag.
118 schools in Newcastle have signed up to the Enviroschools
programme.
Supporting jobs and businesses
We support new businesses and help new start-up companies.
We also work with our partners to help unemployed people get
the right training and learn new skills to move into employment.
Fact:
Last year we supported more than 350 local business startups
and many more have developed their skills.
We have helped more than 1100 people back into work.
5

Planning the future of our city
Attracting investment to our city is vital for future growth.
We have ambitious plans for how the city will develop over the
next 30 years.
Fact:
The new Eldon Square extension has opened, the last stage
of the £170m redevelopment by the council and owners
Capital Shopping Centres.
Roads and pavements
We keep the city streets and pavements safe and in good repair.
Where possible we use recycled materials in our maintenance
work and focus on saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.
Fact:
We fixed 15,275 pot holes last year.
April 2009 to March 2010 we used 11,000 tonnes of grit to
keep Newcastle’s roads free from snow and ice.
Libraries and culture
Our award-winning City Library and network of popular branch
and mobile libraries promotes reading, provides access to
information and digital resources, and encourages learning
throughout the city.
Fact:
From April 2009 to March 2010 more than 2.5million visits
were made to our libraries.
In the same period 56,253 new members joined the library
service.
Our library branches are open a total of 804 hours per
week.
6

Community safety
We aim to create better lives and stronger communities by
working with the police to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour,
alcohol misuse and the supply and use of drugs throughout the
city. Crime in the city has fallen by 8.2% and in the last 12 months
there have been:
Fact:
1,662 fewer offences
108 less burglaries
686 fewer acts of criminal damage
145 less cars stolen
594 fewer violent offences against people
Supporting local communities
We involve residents in local decision making and their views
have helped to shape our services and facilities. Local grants
help many community groups get their projects off the ground.
Ward websites and Neighbourhood Charters are ways we report
back to residents on the progress we are making in their local
area.
Fact:
Last year 557 ward committee grants were awarded.
Adults and older people’s services
We help many older and vulnerable people be safe and enjoy a
good quality of life. We commission care and support services
for vulnerable adults and provide support to many people who
need help to live in their own homes.
Fact:
Our meals at home service delivers food to hundreds of
people across the city every week.
We support more than 9,000 adults to live independently
at home.
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Schools and Children’s Services
We manage school admissions and encourage children to go to
school more regularly. We also lobby and apply for funding to
refurbish schools or build new ones. We provide the schools
and staff for educating local children and we protect those who
are vulnerable or at risk.
Fact:
Last year the number of young people getting five GCSEs
was 49.2%, putting Newcastle ahead of the government
target of 46%.
Customer Services
We deal with customer enquiries for more than 100 services
through our Customer Service Centres. We also provide Housing
and Council Tax Benefits. We register all births and deaths in
Newcastle and give notice for marriage or civil partnerships.
We also provide a nationality checking service and perform
British Citizenship ceremonies.
Fact:
We dealt with 823,880 customer enquiries last year.
We take over one million phone calls each year through
our Contact Centre.
Last year we registered more than 6,500 births.
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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 3. 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
your council tax bill is wrong
Contact us on 0845 111 4101 or visit a Customer Service Centre.
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.
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Inspections
Sometimes, staff from Revenues 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 and
Benefits Team on 0191 277 7608.
Joint and Several liability
The person who must pay the council tax bill is known as the
“liable” person.
Where two or more residents, for example joint owners or
tenants, live in a property they are jointly and severally liable to
pay. This means each person is responsible for the whole of the
bill and not just their “share” of it.
When a liable person is married or living together as husband
and wife or as civil partners they are jointly liable to pay. This
is regardless of whether they hold the same legal or equitable
interest in the property.
A person who is disregarded due to being severely mentally
impaired cannot be held jointly liable.
Bills are addressed to the first named person on the account and
names of any joint and severally liable persons are shown at the
bottom of the bill. It is the responsibility of the person to whom
the bill is addressed to inform the named persons of their liability.
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How to pay less
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% discount
all the adults living in your home are ‘disregarded’
(see below) - 50% discount or
all but one of the adults in your home are
‘disregarded’ - 25% discount (see below)
‘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 who left school or college after
30 April are discounted until 1 November of that year
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)
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Benefits
Call 0845 111 4101 or email benefits@newcastle.gov.uk
If you are on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment
Support 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
either:
’disregarded’
has a low income
not your partner
not paying you rent
You may be able to claim a benefit, called a Second Adult Rebate.
We currently 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
Customer Service Centres or the Walker Centre which are listed
on page 20. Or apply for benefit on line at
https://hbclaims.newcastle.gov.uk/housingbenefitform
Visit our website at www.newcastle.gov.uk/benefits
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
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(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
(contact details on page 3)
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.
Exempt Properties
Council tax is not charged for some properties known as ‘exempt’
properties. The main examples are as follows:
Occupied properties that are:
student halls of residence
lived in by students only
lived in by severely mentally impaired people only
lived in by people under 18 only
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.
The person who lived there has died and Grant of Probate
or Letters of Administration have not been obtained, and
for a period of 6 months after such grant has been obtained.
Empty properties that are also:
unfurnished (time limited to 6 months)
newly built following completion (time limited to 6 months)
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not fit to be lived in (time limited to 12 months)
repossessed by a mortgage company
part of another property and cannot be separately let
held vacant for a minister of religion
Council tax exemptions are laid down by statute and properties which
are empty and unfurnished or empty and uninhabitable are entitled
to time limited exemptions.
Please note that you may not be entitled to the maximum period
of exemption if part has already been claimed by the previous
owner or occupier.
In 2003 legislation was introduced that allowed councils to vary the
discount given if they remained empty after the statutory period.
Up to 1 April 2008 the council chose not to use those powers but in
January 2008 it determined that no discount will be granted for empty
unfurnished and uninhabitable properties after the relevant exemption
has been granted. This means that from 1 April 2008 unoccupied,
empty and uninhabitable dwellings formerly given a 50% discount
will be charged 100% of the council tax due.
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How you can pay
Direct Debit
The easiest way to pay your council tax is by Direct Debit.
You can set up your Direct Debit over the phone. Call now on
0845 111 4101 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday to
arrange payment of your new bill.
You can also set up Direct Debit at any of our Customer Service
Centres which are listed on page 20.
We will arrange for your bank or building society to make payments
straight to us.
The advantages of paying by Direct Debit are:
saves time, no cheques to write or post
convenient, as no need to call into office each month
means you can’t forget to pay
you retain control with a choice of payment dates and
advance notice of any changes, which you can cancel at
any time
Pick any date between the 1st and 28th of the month or
pay weekly or fortnightly on a Monday
Direct Debits run from year to year so no need to set up a
new instruction each year
the only payment method with a money back guarantee
The Direct Debit Guarantee is offered by all participating banks or
building societies. If payment amounts or payment dates change
you will be notified within 10 working days before your account is
debited and if there is an error you are guaranteed a full and
immediate refund from your bank or building society.
If you pay your council tax by Direct Debit it cuts our collection costs
and makes our service more efficient and cost effective.
If you prefer not to apply for Direct Debit over the phone fill in the
form included with your bill,or print off a form from the website.
If you want more details contact us by phone on 0845 111 4101
or by email at council.tax@newcastle.gov.uk
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Other ways you can pay
At a Customer Service Centre
You can pay your council tax in person by cash, cheque, debit or
credit card* at the Customer Service Centres in the Civic Centre,
Outer West (Denton Park Shopping Centre),
East End (Shields Road), The Walker Centre (Church Walk),
Kenton Centre (Hillsview Avenue), Gosforth (Regent Farm Road)
or West End (Condercum Road).
They are open Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
You should make your cheques payable to ‘Newcastle City Council’.
At a Post Office or PayPoint outlet
Swipe cards are available for use at Post Offices and other
PayPoint outlets throughout the country.
For further information on how to obtain a swipe card, contact
us on 0845 111 4101 or visit the council tax website at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax
By phone
Phone us on the direct line number on your bill to pay by debit
or credit card*.
Online
Pay by debit or credit card* on the council’s website at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/counciltax
By Automated Payment Centre*
Phone 0845 111 4199 to pay by debit or credit card*.
Both online and Automated Payment Centre services are available
24 hours 7 days a week.
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By post
Post your payments to:
Director of Finance and Resources
Civic Centre PO Box 2PT
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.
The City Council aims to offer as many payment channels as
possible to enable its customers to pay their council tax by the
due dates. In addition, we aim to minimise our costs of collection
to maintain council tax at the current levels.
*The council keeps its charging policies under review and accepts
payment by debit and credit cards over a wide range of channels
(Internet, Automated Telephone Payments, Call Centres etc).
These types of payments have increased significantly in number
and, in the case of credit card payments, the City Council has
been charged significant costs by the 'merchant' processing these
payments.
Payments by credit card for council tax will therefore incur a 2%
handling fee at the point of payment.
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Pay on time
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 our Contact Centre on 0845 111 4101 or visit a Customer
Service Centre as soon as possible to seek 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 as 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.
Costs are charged when a summons is issued. If the amount due
or the costs remain outstanding by the court date further costs
will be charged when a Liability Order is granted.
Costs can be avoided by making payment on, or before, the
date it is due to be paid.
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Data protection
The information we hold on your account will be used for the
purposes of administering and collecting council tax. Information
we hold may be verified with external agencies. 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.
The council has to make sure that the money we use is safe from
fraud. We may use the information you have provided for the
prevention and detection of fraud. We can also share the
information provided with other organisations responsible for
auditing or administering public money for these purposes.
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 councils business subject to certain exemptions.
For further information please visit :
www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/nfiopendocument
Or contact the FOI and Data Protection Officer at Newcastle City
Council: by phoning 0191 277 7038 or by email at
dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk
0191 274 4000 City Emergency Helpline –
use this number to get information about an
emergency in Newcastle such as flooding, a major
industrial accident, or other large scale disruption.
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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
Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.
Email: benefits@newcastle.gov.uk
Visit our website at www.newcastle.gov.uk/benefits
You can pay by cash, cheque, postal order, debit or credit card
at the following offices:
Civic Centre Customer Service Centre
Sandyford Road
East End Customer Service Centre
Shields Road
Gosforth Customer Service Centre
Regent Farm Road
The Kenton Centre
Hillsview Avenue
Outer West Customer Service Centre
Denton Park Shopping Centre
Walker Centre
Church Walk
West End Customer Service Centre
Condercum Road
Opening times are 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday
Your council tax pays for:
education social services housing leisure transport
public health improving your environment police
fire service planning and development.
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© Newcastle City Council - 15/2/11