Council tax bill - is this wild or are yours insanely high too?

Should public sector workers do it for free? Who do you think should be paying the salaries in the public sector?

Sorry - you resent every penny which goes on safeguarding and services for the most vulnerable children who are known to social care, fostered, or adopted?

Sorry, what? I’m a civil servant and live in a two bed in a fairly shite area. Do I not even deserve to have a house? Please explain? Or are you just one of these folk who think you literally pay my wages?

Something like 60p in every £1 goes towards social care costs ( I can’t remember exact figures). We have a population living longer, not necessarily healthier and unable to fund their care.

The remaining money has to go on highways, infrastructure, leisure, bins, libraries, schools etc. (and salaries!).

Don’t forget as well that inflation and fuel cost increases also hits Councils - keeping schools heated and bin wagons on the road could cost significantly more this year than projected, due to Trump bombing Iran.

Mine's just under £200 a month before the 25% discount. I'm quite surprised, it's been in the top 5 most expensive nationally for a few years, it'll slip right down the rankings now.

I think that's pretty reasonable for a rural district, where it's more expensive to deliver services.

Council Tax is a sore subject with me. As a single childfree person who earned a good salary I have been a net contributer all my life. As a sinhgle pensioner I am now effectively subsidising families (net takers) who pay NOTHING extra for their children. 20% of my CT bill goes on childrens services and I resent every penny of that. If I ever move I will be sure to leave a huge bill behind me out of sheer spite

I don’t understand this point. You were a child once too?

Those children grew up and are paying your pension. The generation before paid for your education. The current generation are paying for your NHS services, The next generation will probably pay for your social care. You will probably be still moaning then

How much was last year's monthly rate?

Council tax has gone up a lot but that seems very high, OP. Can you say approximately where you are? What band is your property? I'm paying £166 a month with a single person discount for a band E four-bed detached house. It's gone up 5%.

Edited to add that Martin Lewis has a guide to checking your council tax band and challenging it if you think it is wrong: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/council-tax-bands-change/

Mine is £148 per month for a 3 bed semi. No water charges either which helps. Yours sounds really high

I live alone in a two up two down Band A and I pay £134 a month, if I shared a Band D house I would pay the same amount, the whole system needs reforming. I can't understand anyone not knowing how much their council tax is, do they not open the bill/email, do a budget and monitor their income and expenditure? I would perhaps not resent the amount I pay if the area I live in wasn't a filthy rubbish strewn tip that I no longer invite people to my home, in fact much of the city where I live is a run down mess that makes me depressed when I go out.

Mine's £309 a month, band E, 3 bed semi, South East. I wouldn't mind but are roads are awful and my car has a permanent creak/ grind/ squeak.

Council Tax is a sore subject with me. As a single childfree person who earned a good salary I have been a net contributer all my life. As a sinhgle pensioner I am now effectively subsidising families (net takers) who pay NOTHING extra for their children. 20% of my CT bill goes on childrens services and I resent every penny of that. If I ever move I will be sure to leave a huge bill behind me out of sheer spite.

And road maintenance. In our area it's gone to residential parking and high paid-for, parking. The fines have been ridiculous, there's been no leeway while people adjust. We could redirect some of that. As well as properly making the utility companies make good when they carry out work.

Council tax is not a particularly fair or well distributed tax. But the Daily Mail and social media would have a meltdown if it shifted to income tax, capital gains tax or VAT, all of which would be fairer

A large % of the increased SEN costs are due to placements in independent special schools because there isn’t the state spaces.

Like council workers, police and school staff? Do they not deserve a wage?

This is a red herring & those “gold plated” pensions have been closed to newer entrants for years.

This is what our council have said. It spends 80% of council tax on adult care and SEN children - a fair proportion of it on taxis. It’s not sustainable and it’s no wonder our roads are full of potholes.
I’d be interested to know how SEN provision is funded in other countries and what it costs

£427 and because it’s a Reform area it’ll mostly be spent on fucking flags and other pointless shit, especially as they don’t believe SEND is real!

That’s no better most public sector staff ( a large proportion) are on lower salaries and paying for their pension. I pay a good chunk into my pension. I’m very lucky i get a great employer %. Which is why i’m still there!

My NHS pension is not gold plated. It’s never going to be huge because i don’t earn enough for it to be huge. My partners is the same. Those days where people retired in a lot are are long gone.

Council tax money is eaten up by social care and services. See the breakdown that you get each year.

I'm a bit surprised by some of your bills! We are band D, 4 bed house and ours is £227 a month. Guess it must depend on where you live, we are Leeds.
Eta we have no reductions either

Our healthcare model doesn’t work with an ageing population as the vast majority haven’t paid in vs what is taken out.

all of us paying for those public sector salaries

You do realise that one of the biggest expenditures councils usually have is Social care, the vast majority of which is provided by private companies ?

Also paying the same amount as you and on just below national average wage, only earner in the household. Next month might be a fraction lower ? they usually take slightly more in the first month here and then divide the rest between 9 if you are paying over 10 months which I do.

Everything seems to be going up except wages !

Notmycircusnotmyotter

can you pay a bit more then as many public sector workers are on just above NMW and floundering

whilst 75% of the council tax collected goes on companies running child and adult social care lowdownnhs.info/private-providers/13821/