I am grateful to Colette Whitehead from Helmsdale Road for drawing this to my attention – an
ongoing consultation by HM Government on several aspects of Council Tax. From a personal
perspective, none of the issues will be resolved unless and until the Government is brave enough
to undertake a full revaluation of Council Tax bands but, for the best part of 30 years, no
Government has had the bottle to carry out that review and that is the principal reason for the
many flaws in the current system. Yes, that’s a personal view but I know it’s one shared by a great
many people of all political hues and none.
You can access the consultation on this link
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-and-improving-the-administration-of-council-tax/modernising-and-improving-the-administration-of-council-tax
Their preference is to receive responses through their online form on the above link but will also
accept e-mail or written replies and details of those addresses are also available on this link. The
deadline for responses is 12 th September 2025 and the consultation is being run by the Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Local tax Team.
The consultation contains 36 questions with 33 open to the public and the others to Local
Authorities only, and seeks views on the administration of Council Tax, including how it is billed and
how payments are collected and enforced. It is focused on the administration of Council Tax and
will not seek views on fundamental reform of the Council Tax system. It sets out the Government’s
proposals to make changes to billing, modernising Council Tax disregards, reviewing the process
for collecting the tax and the fees involved in this. The consultation also includes a call for
evidence, which seeks views on taxpayers’ experiences of the wider administration of Council Tax
and potential longer-term changes.
Simon Hooberman
