Council Tax changes for North Kesteven residents

Increased Council Tax bills will land on doormats across North Kesteven in coming days, detailing the charges made by the various authorities for services in the year ahead.
Council Tax Bills will be issued by North Kesteven District Council.Council Tax Bills will be issued by North Kesteven District Council.
Council Tax Bills will be issued by North Kesteven District Council.

The core bill is made up of charges levied by the county and district councils, plus the Police and Crime Commissioner. In most areas there is a further element to the bill to meet the costs of parish and town councils, which varies locally.

Lincolnshire County Council is responsible for 72.3 per cent of the charge; the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for 13.5 per cent; and North Kesteven District Council for 9.2 per cent; with, on average, the parish portion making up the final four per cent.

At Band D, the core element of the bill has increased by around £90 over last year with Lincolnshire County Council charging £1,292.40 (up 4.3 per cent on 2018/19), North Kesteven £164.70 (up 3.1 per cent) and the Police £241.38 (up 11 per cent). The highest parish charge at band D is £127.

Most homes are charged at Bands A to C which means an overall increase of around £60 to £80, plus local variations for parish charges.

The bill and accompanying explanatory notes, which can be found at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/counciltax cover a few further changes.

These include:

* Changes to the discounts available for empty properties (changes have occurred at both councils, but different ones)

* A doubling of the premium charged for Long Term Empty Properties

* An increase in the Adult Social Care element of the of the county’s share of the tax, up from £68 to £92, but because of the way the numbers are shown on the bill, it shows as a two per cent increase.

Within North Kesteven, the district council says it is important that householders hold on to their Council Tax Bill as it forms one of the 29 types of ID which can be used to satisfy a requirement to take identification to the Polling Station on May 2 for the local elections. More detail on this on the leaflet within the bill and at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/VoterID