Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Core Services introduced the annual Council Tax Base setting report for the 2019/20 financial year.

The number of Band D equivalent properties in the Borough had increased by over 1,000 compared to 2018/19, which would generate an additional £1.5m of income based on the current rate of Council Tax.  The Cabinet Member also referred to recent changes to legislation which allowed local authorities to increase the premium applied to the Council Tax charge for long term empty properties.  The Cabinet Member suggested that the Council should do all that it could to discourage owners from leaving their properties empty for any length of time and, with that in mind, it was proposed that the Council should apply the maximum premiums permissable.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council as its Tax Base for the year 2019/20 shall be 50,008.54 Band ‘D’ properties; and

(ii)  Agree the higher rate premiums for long term empty dwellings as detailed in paragraph 4.2 of the report, to be charged to homes unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least two years and to be in addition to the usual Council Tax charge applied to the property.