Shropshire Star

Council tax: Rise in Shropshire disputes but figures show fall in Telford & Wrekin

More Shropshire residents are contesting their council tax bills, new figures have revealed.

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Shirehall, Shrewsbury

The think tank Resolution Foundation said the council tax system was “deeply regressive” and that it was unsurprising that so many property owners were disputing their costs.

Shropshire Council handled 320 challenges from residents the year 2018-19 according to figures from the Valuation Office Agency an increase from 290 the previous year.

A total of 330 complaints, including some from previous years, resulted in a reduction in bills during the course of the financial year, while 210 were unchanged.

While in Telford & Wrekin the council handled less challenges in the same period. Officers handed 70 complaints, 120 less than the previous year.

Review

The foundation said across England and Wales some 36,950 households disputed their bills and of those 15,200 were requests for a property band review.

Adam Corlett, senior economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Council tax is an extremely poorly designed tax so it’s understandable that so many people are making challenges to it.

“It’s farcical that our main property tax is so deeply regressive, and based on house values from nearly 30 years ago.

“Sooner or later, we are going to need to replace council tax with a far fairer system of property taxation.”

Band D households in Shropshire, the most common tax band, saw bills rise by five per cent in April. The latest rise brought the Band D bill to £1,779, compared with £1,700 last year. The Local Government Association said at the time that many councils feel they have "little choice" but to raise tax this year, to try and protect their local services from ongoing funding pressures.

Band D households in Telford and Wrekin saw bills rise by four per cent in April. The latest rise brought the Band D bill to £1,704, compared with £1,640 last year.

Value

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said: “Council tax is essential for public services, so everyone who is eligible should pay their fair share.

"There is a wide range of discounts and exemptions, and local council tax reduction schemes are available in every area to provide support to those with lower incomes.

“Individual authorities decide what level of council tax to set, reflecting the service needs of each area and a predictable source of funding for local authorities to enable them to deliver vital services for local people.”

She added that the Government had no plans for a new valuation programme or to create new bands due to the expense involved which could result in further bill increases.