Council Tax Set to Rise By £74 On Band D Property
Tomorrow (19/02/20), Folkestone & Hythe District Council will set its Council tax rate for 2020/21. It will come as no surprise to many of you that Council tax will rise. It will rise by around £74 on a Band D property. One can see the breakdown below.
As you may or may not know, Folkestone & Hythe District Council has had the highest Council Tax rate in the whole of Kent for the last sixteen years, according to data released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Even when full Council vote on setting the Council Tax rate, our Council – Folkestone & Hythe District Council – will continue to have the highest Council Tax in Kent.
2004/05 to 2011/12
2012/13 to 2019/20
Council Tax will rise by £74 on a Band D property (see page 10). This will take a band D council tax rate in the Folkestone & Hythe District Council area to £1,967.25. This will mean that our Council will have had the highest Council Tax in Kent for the seventeenth year in a row.
It is hard to believe that when Council Tax was introduced in 1993, it was promised to be a system that would be ‘simple’, ‘fair’ and one that would ‘protect the unemployed and those on low incomes from court action’
It is impossible to make such a claim today.
According to Stop The Knock over 1,700 households were referred to the Japanese owned bailiffs for Council Tax by the Council in 2018/19.
Mayor’s, Cabinet Member’s and your average Cllr can have problems paying their Council Tax.
As we know 52% of children are living in poverty in Folkestone Central ward, the ward where Cllr Laura Davison (Lab) Cllr Danny Brook (Con) and Cllr David Monk won their seats in May 2019.
With a £74 increase on a Band D property, how many more working families who are just about managing, will be pushed into the hands of the Bailiffs in 2020/21?
If you are having issues with your Council Tax then we advise you contact the Council as soon as possible as there are a number of discounts available⇒ here
If you believe you Council Tax rate is too high then you can by law challenge this via the Valuation Tribunal Service.
If you are having problems paying your Council Tax, then contact:
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Folkestone & Hythe District Council – 01303 853000
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Shepway Citizen Advice Bureau – 01303 241435
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Council Tax Advisors (freephone) 0300 302 1806
or if you can afford to pay:
The Shepwayvox Team
Journalism For The People NOT the Powerful
How much of the extra revenue raised will have to be used to plug the ever-widening hole in the Council’s Housing Revenue account? The debacle of East Kent Housing’s mismanagement will be very expensive to rectify. Ross House is but the worst of the problems that are in the public domain. I will not be surprised to learn if tenants and leaseholders have multiple other concerns.
This may also explain why Councillor David Monk has offered to open up membership of the Council’s Cabinet to other political parties. By agreeing to participate Councillor Monk doubtless hopes that the blame for rectifying all the existing problems and doubtless a few others that the Council has chosen not to disclose (at this juncture) will be spread across all the political parties who choose to join.
Equally, it might be the case (and others will be in a better position to judge than myself) that he has a paucity of talented colleagues on whom he can rely. After all, how many of them will want to take the flak for the mess they have already created?
Finally, and I would be delighted to learn otherwise has Damian Collins MP taken any interest in resolving the problems of East Kent Housing after he has been contacted by constituents or,has he kept his distance and refused to become involved?