Council Tax General

No, you cannot get interest on overpaid Council Tax. There is no provision in law to allow it so it would be illegal for the council to pay it.

No, if you stop paying, we are obliged to commence recovery action against you. Your liability to pay Council Tax is not affected by provision of local authority services.

You should contact the local authority responsible for providing the service and say why you are unhappy. You can pursue the matter through the Council’s complaints procedure if necessary, and ultimately involve your local Councillor and/or the Ombudsman as appropriate.

Yes. The Council Tax Regulations state that payment is still due irrespective of any appeal or benefit claim that may be outstanding. This is because there are separate legal avenues for pursuing different outstanding matters.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) , which is a Central Government Agency, is responsible for allocating a Council Tax banding to all homes in England, for maintaining the Council Tax valuation lists, and for dealing with banding queries. You can find more information on how Council Tax bands are allocated and you can check the banding of your property, on the VOA website.

You may be entitled to Council Tax Benefit, or qualify for a status discount or an exemption from Council Tax.

For further information please see the Council Tax leaflet enclosed with your bill or visit our web pages.

The Council’s preferred method of payment is direct debit, but it also offers a wide variety of other payment methods. For details please see the back of your Council Tax bill or visit our Payment Options webpage.

The Council sets the standard level of Council Tax (called the band D tax level) in February/March each year. Each home is in one of eight valuation bands A to H based on the property’s capital value as at 1 April 1991. The actual tax paid depends on which band the property is in.

Yes, provided that you pay in advance of your instalment date not in arrears e.g. if your instalment date is 1 April you should pay that instalment on 28 March but not on 28 April. This way, you still only pay the same monthly amount (but a few days in advance) and you will then have January and February when you do not have to pay an instalment.

If your house has been extended or changed prior to you buying it, but since it was originally valued and banded, it will only be re-valued and issued with a new band when a material change takes place. The transfer of ownership of a property is classed as a material change.

Council tax property banding is decided by the Valuation Office - a separate Government body. If you disagree with your band or would like to query it, please contact the Valuation Office direct on Leicester 0116 2800200. Further details can be found on their website.

Council Tax is not a direct payment for services received. It is a means whereby each householder contributes towards the cost of services provided in their locality e.g. Fire, Police, Education, Social Services. Your contribution is based on the capital value of your home as at 1 April 1991.

The council acts as a collection agent for:

• Leicestershire County Council
• Leicestershire Police Authority
• The Combined Fire Authority

These bodies set their own budgets and we bill and collect Council Tax on their behalf in addition to the Council Tax for services provided by OWBC.

Council Tax Regulations give everyone the right to pay in monthly instalments, usually over 10 months. Payments are due on 1 April ( or 15 April if paying by direct debit) and each month thereafter until 1 January. If payments are not made by the due dates shown on your Council Tax bill reminders are sent promptly. If these are not paid in full within 7 days, recovery action will continue which may remove your right to pay by instalments. The full year then becomes due and payable in full.

For further information visit our web page Advice if your Council Tax is in arrears.