Council Tax Appeals

You can appeal on the following issues -

• You do not agree you are liable for the tax;
• You do not agree with the dates you are shown as liable for the tax;
• You have not been given a discount you believe should apply;
• You have not been given an exemption you believe should apply;
• You have not been given a reduction for a person with a disability and you believe you are entitled.
• You disagree with a penalty that has been imposed.

The appeal has two steps. Firstly, writing to the Council and explaining why an appeal is being made and the reasons you disagree with the decision made. We have 2 months to consider this and make a response.

If the appeal is rejected or we fail to respond within 2 months a further appeal can be made to the Valuation Tribunal service, which is independent of the Council. More details on this service can be found at the Valuation Tribunal Service. Any appeal to this service must be made within 2 months of the Council rejecting the initial appeal or within 4 months of the initial appeal where the Council fails to make any response.

If you wish to appeal against a decision made on Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit, there is a separate process.

Pending any appeal being determined Council Tax remains payable as billed.

For more information or if you have an enquiry please contact us.

Appeals to the valuation tribunal

You can make appeals to the Valuation Tribunal if: You are the owner of a newly built unoccupied property and disagree with the completion date shown on the completion notice we have sent you. This will be the date the property will be banded from and included in the Valuation List. If you disagree with the date, you need to appeal within 28 days of receiving the completion notice. You can also make an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal if:

• You disagree with a decision we have made about an appeal you made to us.
• We have not made a decision on your appeal to us within 2 months. as long as no more than 4 months have passed since you first wrote to the Council.
• You disagree with the decision of your appeal to the Valuation Office.

Appeals need to be made in writing to:

Valuation Tribunal Service, Hepworth House 2 Trafford Court Doncaster Yorks DN1 1PN

Telephone : 01302 342324 Fax : 01302 321447

Tribunal Service Website The valuation tribunal, which is independent of both the valuation officer and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council. They will contact you to arrange a hearing, and send you a leaflet to explain how the process works. The hearings are free however if a solicitor presents your case, you will need to pay their charges whether you are successful or not. You still have to pay council tax until your appeal is decided. If your appeal is successful any overpayments will be refunded.