New Forest Council Tax Bands (All 8 Bands With Charge)

This blog will cover the topic “New Forest council tax bands.” It will talk in detail about the specific procedure of council tax payment in the New Forestdistrict council. It will cover all the council tax bands and their charges according to the New Forestdistrict council.

New Forest council tax bands

The general division of council tax bands all across the United Kingdoms is into 8 Bands, from A to H, Band A being the lowest while Band H being the highest. The average Bands in the New Forest Council are Band D homes. The maximum council tax collected by the New Forest council is usually from Band D and C.

The amount of council tax paid by you depends upon the town or parish your property belongs in. The website provides a detailed breakdown of the council tax charges. The breakdown consists of all the varying council tax band charges for all the Parish or Town councils.

New Forest District Council

The New Forest district Council is a Shire district council in England, with approximately 84,304 residential properties under council tax, and about 6,644 commercial properties under Business rates.

The council sends out bills to and collects council tax from all households within New Forest. However, it is not the New Forest district council which is responsible for the entire amount you owe to it.

The council tax you pay to your council is in fact levied by so many different bodies such as fire authorities, police authorities etc., and the local councils. All these are not applied to every single location, but it is always at least more than one authority which levies council tax.

It provides all the information about the band your property is in, the council tax you are to pay, the methods to make payment on its official website itself.

You can make the payment for your council tax using direct debit, or online through phone, or by bank, whatever is suitable to you.

The website provides for you to register for paying council tax, list of people who do and don’t need to pay council tax, support system provided by the council, the resource you can have in case you are unable to make the council tax payment, various reductions, exemptions, and discounts available to you, provisions for people with disabilities, and severe mental impairment, taxation provisions for empty properties and annexes, etc.

New Forest Band Charges for 2021-22

New Forest district Council Tax Bands are as per the price the respective properties had in April 1991.

The value of all the eight Bands in New Forest district Council Tax Bands are as follows:

  • Band A up to, and including £40,000
  • Band B between £40,001 and £52,000
  • Band C between £52,001 and £68,000
  • Band D between £68,001 and £88,000
  • Band E between £88,001 and £120,000
  • Band F between £120,001 and £160,000
  • Band G between £160,001 and £320,000
  • Band H more than £320,000

The following are the average council tax charges for each of the corresponding council tax bands in New Forest:

Financial year 2021-22

  • Band A : £1,283
  • Band B : £1,496
  • Band C : £1,710
  • Band D : £1,924
  • Band E : £2,351
  • Band F : £2,779
  • Band G : £3,207
  • Band H : £3,848

As is clear with these rates, Band A is for the cheapest properties and charges the least, while Band H is for the most expensive properties and it charges the most.

The council tax in New Forest has increased £87 for the average band D council tax bill for the financial year 2021-22. The citizens of New Forest have to bear a 4.77% council tax increase for the current financial year.

How council tax is calculated

Your council tax is calculated by the New Forestdistrict council based upon the size, location etc. of your property, and your living circumstances.

At first, the council taxes were calculated using the rental value of your home, but now that is done based upon the council tax band your property is in.

There are online portals for New Forest council which provide you means to calculate your council tax by entering the band in which your property is, and the time period from which you have been staying at the property.

This portal provides you with the moving that can be done for your tax banding, your current council tax and reduced council tax if your house is re-banded. You can also get a detailed breakdown of the amount specified for your council tax.

Who pays council tax in New Forest 

Council Tax is a local tax that is applicable over all residential properties in the UK. The payment of this tax imposed is done by a person made ‘liable’ as per the rules. This ‘liable’ person is always one who is aged more than 18, responsible for that property, who can carry out the duties assigned to him, such as paying the bill or notifying the council of any changes. 

Any person over 18, who resides in a property, or owns or rents a house, and is sufficiently able to do so, in general pays the council tax. A  full Council Tax bill assumes at least 2 adults living on a property. Spouses, partners and adults who live together are jointly responsible for paying their council tax.

If there are more than one person living on a property, the person who is liable to pay council tax is determined by a system called the hierarchy of liability. The hierarchy goes from top to bottom. The topmost person is the one responsible for paying council tax, in whose absence, the next will be responsible and so on.

  1. First liability falls upon the resident owner-occupier who owns the freehold or leasehold of all or any part of the property.
  1. If there is no freeholder or leaseholder, council tax liability is that of the resident statutory tenant on an assured tenancy agreement, such as a council or private tenant.
  1. In absence of a tenant even, the liability is that of the resident who lives in the property, and is a licensee, that is, a person who is not a tenant but has permission to live there.
  1. If there is no licensee even, then any resident staying at the property, for example a squatter has to pay the council tax.
  1. As a last resort, if the property is not at all occupied by any resident, then the council tax liability falls upon the owner of the property who doesn’t live there

In the following situations, the landlord is responsible for paying the council tax in New Forest:

  • If you are living in a house in multiple occupancy (HMO), that is, a house or flat that has been built or changed for living in by one or more people who are not part of the same household.
  • If all the people living in a property.are under the age of 18.
  • If the property is used by people who are  seeking an asylum, and are  living in accommodation provided by the UK Border Agency
  • If the property is being used fir a temporary stay, while the current residents have their main homes somewhere else
  • If the property is a care home, hospital, hostel for homeless people or women’s refuge.

Who does not count for council tax calculation

The following people are not regarded as ‘Adults’, and do not count for council tax reduction in New Forest:

  • If everyone living on a property is a full-time student
  • A property where a Foreign Language Assistants on the official British Council programme is staying in
  • If all the persons living on a property are under 18.
  • If the house is a rented one, where house support is provided, and there is a common kitchen and bathroom for every resident there.

However, even if your property is exempt from council tax payment in New Forest, the New Forestdistrict council provides that you still need to register for Council Tax for that property so the council is aware of who is living in the property.

After registering on the website, you can then avail the applicable discounts or exemptions on the property.

Improvement on your property

The New Forest council does not charge any additional council tax if you make any improvements on your property. This has been done so that a council tax on a property does not become improvement tax.

However, if you have made significant improvements to the property, they are considered if and when you sell or lease the property. The council tax band of your property might change if you sell the property or if a new lease for more than 7 years is granted on it.

The council tax is reviewed by the Valuation Office Agency in such cases, to take into account all the changes made to the property and assess whether it needs to be rebanded or not.

The VOA takes into account all the properties in a council that have been improved as per their knowledge, and reviews their council tax banding accordingly.

Conclusion 

This blog covered the topic “New Forest council tax bands.” It talked in detail about the specific procedure of council tax payment in the New Forest district council. It covered all the council tax bands and their charges according to the New Forest district council.

FAQs 

Is council tax increasing in 2021?

Yes, council tax has increased for the financial year 2021-22. In New Forest has increased £87 for the year, an increase of 4.77%.

Why is council tax so high?

According to the local authorities, the council tax is so high, and keeps on increasing every year mainly because of government cuts, such as the austerity programme, reduction in grants, and the increasing cost of most of the local services provided by the council.

Is council tax per person or per household?

Council tax is charged per household, based upon the property you live in. However, it does consider the number of persons staying on a property, the number of earning persons staying at the property, the number of students, severely mentally impaired persons, etc different factors.

Do you pay council tax every month?

Council tax is an annual tax payment charged by your local council upon your property for the services provided by it. You can pay it in 10 months installments, with 2 months of no payment, or in 12 months installments.

 

How is my council tax calculated?

Your council tax is calculated based upon the council tax band in which your property falls, the number of earning members in your household, whether there are persons below 18 or students living on the property, whether there are disabled persons needing care, or persons with severe mental impairment living with you, and such factors.

Citations 

http://www.mycounciltax.org.uk/results?postcode=so427qt  

https://counciltaxrates.info/new-forest-district-council#.YXJynRpBzIV
https://newforest.gov.uk/media/541/council-tax-charges-town-parish-2020-21/pdf/council-tax-charges-town-parish-2020-21.pdf?m=637255845997600000
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/counciltax
https://www.advertiserandtimes.co.uk/news/new-forest-council-tax-area-breakdown-of-what-youll-pay-for-2021-22-9193330/
https://www.counciltax.info/council/new_forest
https://www.gov.uk/pay-council-tax/new-forest
https://www.caldwells.uk.com/tax-bands
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/989/Who-has-to-pay-Council-Tax
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/1252/Difficulty-paying-Council-Tax
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/peoplediscount
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/988/Register-for-Council-Tax-or-report-a-change-
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/990/Council-Tax-Valuation-Bands
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/1279/How-much-Council-Tax-you-pay-and-how-it-is-spent