Council tax

Stuart Fitzgerald

9 November 2023, Local Government and Housing Committee

Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Climate Change

The statistics we work with define empty properties using the council tax definition of those. When council tax becomes chargeable at six months, a property is empty, and then a long-term empty after 12 months, and that's the figure I've got here, but it's just over that. That's that 22,000 figure…

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Julie MorganLabour

8 November 2023, Plenary

Short Debate: Can carers afford to care?

…keep money in the pockets of Welsh citizens, and this includes initiatives such as our £244 million council tax reduction scheme and our commitment to free prescriptions, which, of course, are not provided over the border. For people experiencing extreme financial difficulty, this year we've…

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Rebecca EvansLabour

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

…here in Wales through the RSG and through specific grants, and then local authorities also raise council tax. That's just part of the way in which local authorities are accountable to their local communities. It is through council tax, and it does give people that tie to their local services, and…

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Tom GiffardConservative

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

Bridgend County Borough Council—Labour run—continues to increase council tax, year after year after year. In doing so, they blame a lack of financial support from the Welsh Government as the rationale for doing that. But I wanted to focus specifically on our town and community councils, because…

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Rebecca EvansLabour

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

I'm not going to conflate the two issues of local government reserves with council tax reform. I think that that would be a dangerous thing to do, because I think that it is important to keep the two things separate. Council tax reserves are in many ways a reflection of the decisions taken by…

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Joel JamesConservative

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

…almost £0.5 billion in combined usable reserves, yet they continuously plead poverty and raise their council tax rates year upon year. Minister, I fail to see how this is fair on hard-working, hard-pressed families within my region. So, with this in mind, what commitments will you give to look into…

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Rebecca EvansLabour

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

…a step further, but I think that now is the time to start making some real progress in terms of making council tax fairer. I do want to take this opportunity to emphasise the point that the overall aim of the exercise is not to raise a single penny more overall. I know that lots of people are…

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Rhys ab OwenIndependent

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

…vulnerable in our society. Their report suggests that one answer to this is a rise of 5 per cent in council tax. Will the Welsh Government then commit to reforming the council tax bands as soon as possible to assist struggling local authorities? Diolch yn fawr.

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Rebecca EvansLabour

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

I will be making a statement to the Senedd next week, on 14 November, providing an update on our important work to make council tax fairer.

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Rhys ab OwenIndependent

8 November 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

2. Will the Minister provide an update on the development of the proposed council tax reforms set to be introduced in 2025? OQ60201

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Huw Irranca-DaviesLabour

6 November 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

Instruments that raise no reporting issues under Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3

…Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3, and the first of these, in your paper No.1, item 2.1, is SL(6)394, the Council Tax (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2023. These regulations amend the 1993 regulations, which set out the circumstances in which a valuation list can be…

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Michael Kay

26 October 2023, Local Government and Housing Committee

Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution

…data sources they'd already be using to validate for those purposes. Clear examples are things like council tax. Schools data would be particularly relevant in this instance, given the under-registration of younger people in particular. But those are examples. We've got a good work stream in place…

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Julie JamesLabour

25 October 2023, Plenary

Questions to the Minister for Climate Change

…frustrating, given the current housing supply. We have given local authorities powers to charge council tax premiums of up to 300 per cent on long-term empty dwellings, as well as on second homes, and we've put £50 million investment over three years to bring 2,000 long-term empty properties back…

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