Council tax is a local tax which was introduced on 1 April 1993 to help pay for local services. It is charged on all domestic properties, and the amount payable depends on the value of your property.
In addition to the council tax payable on your property, the council also collect money on behalf of other precepting authorities which are added to your bill, such as:
- Humberside fire authority;
- Police and crime commissioner;
- Parish councils charges;
- Special expenses that the council provide instead of the parish or town council.
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Council tax pays for local services that the council provides. A full breakdown of what council tax pays for can be found in our council tax booklet:
A guide to council tax (pdf 179kb opens in new window)
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All domestic properties are allocated a banding by the valuation office, who are an executive agency of Her Majesty's Revenues and Customs.
Banding's are based on what the property would have been worth on 1 April 1991. Even if the property did not exist on this date, the property would be back valued to what it would have been worth.
Banding
| Value from | Value to |
A
| £0
| £40,000
|
B
| £40,001 | £52,000 |
C
| £52,001
| £68,000
|
D
| £68,001
| £88,000
|
E
| £88,001
| £120,000
|
| F | £120,001 | £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 | £320,000 |
| H | £320,001 | and above
|
If you wish to find out the banding of your property, please visit the Valuation Office Agency website, where you will be able to find the correct property band.
Valuation office council tax band checker (external website opens in new window)
Your banding will also be quoted on any council tax bill that you receive.
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Appeal against your banding
If you disagree with your valuation band, do not contact the council unless the banding is provisional. You can make a formal proposal against your council tax band by contacting the Valuation Office directly
Online
By visiting their website
Valuation office - challenge your banding (external website, opens in new window)
Post
By writing to them at the following address:
Listing Officer
Council Tax North
The Valuation Office
King William House
Market Place
Hull
HU1 1RT
Telephone or fax
By contacting them over the telephone or by fax:
Telephone 03000 501501
Fax 03000 503497
Email
By sending an email to the following email address:
ctnorth@voa.gsi.gov.uk.
Top of page Once you know the band that your property is in, you can check to see how much the annual council tax payable on your property. A full list of charges are detailed in the document below:
Annual council tax charges (pdf 60kb opens in new window)
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The money collected from the council tax on domestic properties currently provides 20 per cent of the amount the council spends on local public services including education, highways, refuse collection and social services. The remainder comes from rents, other income and government grants.
In April 2013 the government abolished council tax benefit and made a number of changes to the way local authorities receive and allocate funding, including a reduction in the amount available for the locally designed council tax support scheme which was brought in to replace council tax benefit.
In addition, changes were made to council tax legislation which gave local authorities greater freedom to vary the amount and duration of some council tax discounts and exemptions which apply to unoccupied properties. In common with the majority of local authorities, all of whom were affected by these changes, East Riding of Yorkshire Council members voted to adjust the amounts and duration of some discounts and exemptions to help offset the shortfall left by the changes in government funding.
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If you have a query or your circumstances have changed, you can contact the billing and collection section in a number of different ways:
Online
You can complete a number of online forms from our online services page.
Or send us a message using the below option.
Contact the billing & collection section (opens in new window)
Email
Send an email to us at council.tax@eastriding.gov.uk
Telephone
Telephone us on (01482) 394747.
Post
Contact us by post at:
Billing & collection section
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Cross Street
County Hall
Beverley
East Riding of Yorkshire
HU17 9BA
Customer service centre
Visit your local customer service centre.
For a full list of ways in which you can pay your council tax, please see the council tax payment page.
The council offer a variety of different payment methods, dates and frequencies to make paying your council tax easier.Top of page
Discounts
There are a number of different council tax discounts available depending on individual circumstances:
Discount
| Description |
Single person discount
| If you are the only adult in the property over the age of 18.
|
| Empty & unfurnished | If your property is unoccupied and unfurnished.
|
| Uninhabitable | If your property is uninhabitable and undergoing major structural work.
|
Tied accommodation
| If the you have moved to another property provided by your employer as a condition of your job.
|
Council tax support
| A means tested discount if you are not working or are on a low income.
|
Exemptions
A residential property can be exempt from council tax if it meets the criteria one of the council tax exemption classes prescribed by council tax legislation.
If circumstances change, and the qualifying criteria is no longer met, any exemption will cease.
Exemptions are specific to an individual property, if the exemption is time limited, the exemption period is not extended or restarted if there is a change in the person who is liable for council tax.
A full list of exemptions is available in exemption guide below:
Council tax exemption guide (pdf 178kb opens in new window)
Disregards
The full council tax is payable on a property where there are two or more occupants over the age of 18 with their sole or main residence at the property.
When counting the number of occupants in the property, an occupant may be disregarded if certain qualifying criteria are met.
A full list of council tax disregards is available in the disregard guide below:
Council tax disregard guide (73kb opens in new window)
Disabled band reduction
Your council tax banding can be reduced by one valuation band if a disabled person lives in the property and the property has certain features which are there for the well being of the disabled person.
The quickest and easiest way to apply for disabled band reduction is to complete an online application form. The application form can be completed from our online services page.
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Properties which are not used by anyone as their main home but are furnished are referred to as second homes. All residential dwellings are subject to council tax therefore the person who owns or rents a second home is liable for any council tax which may be payable for it, as well as for the dwelling which they occupy as their main home.
Second homes
The council does not award a reduction in council tax for second homes, the full council tax charge is payable.
Second homes - tied accommodation
If someone has to live in a particular property because of the terms of their contract of employment and it is not their main residence then a discount of fifty percent can be awarded for the council tax for the second property.
An example would be a pub manager who might normally live elsewhere but is required to live in a flat above the pub under the terms of a contract of employment. Anyone claiming this discount will be asked to provide a copy of the contract of employment which requires them to be resident at a certain dwelling.
Empty properties
Dwellings which are not used by anyone as their main home and are unfurnished are referred to as ‘empty properties’.
The discounts available for empty properties are:
-
if a property is empty and unfurnished, a 100% discount is applicable for two months. Once the two month discount has finished, the full council tax charge is payable.
-
if a property is empty and unfurnished and is uninhabitable and undergoing major repair, a 100% discount is applicable for 12 months. Once the twelve month discount has finished, the full council tax charge is payable.
-
if a property has been empty and unfurnished for 24 months, an additional 50% empty home premium will be added to your council tax bill.
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If you cannot afford the monthly instalments on your council tax bill there are a number of different options available to you:
- contact the billing and collection section. Instalments can now be offered over the full 12 months instead of 10 months. In addition to monthly instalments, we can now offer weekly and fortnightly instalments.
- if you are not working, or are on a low income, you can make an application for council tax support (opens in new window)
- if you are struggling with your finances, you can make an appointment to see our benefit and money advice team (opens in new window)
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The documents below contain financial information relating to the annual council tax charge:
A guide to council tax (pdf 180kb opens in new window)
Police & Crime commissioner leaflet (pdf 442kb opens in new window)
Humberside fire authority leaflet (pdf 308kb opens in new window)
Copies of the various town council precepts are below:
Beverley town council precept (pdf 174kb opens in new window)
Bridlington town council precept (pdf 148kb opens in new window)
Driffield town council precept (pdf 371kb opens in new window)
Elloughton cum brough town council precept (pdf 23kb opens in new window)
Goole town council precept (pdf 17kb opens in new window)
Hessle town council precept (pdf 49kb opens in new window)
Hornsea town council precept (pdf 59kb opens in new window)
Pocklington town council precept (pdf 9mb opens in new window) Copies of the special expenses are below:
