Last week, the Welsh Government launched a public consultation on modest reforms to council tax.
Presently, homes in Wales are placed into a council tax band based on an official valuation of the property. The last valuation exercise took place in 2003.
Each local authority then sets a council tax rate for each band. Most properties in Wales are in Bands A-D, with D considered the “average”.
The Welsh Government have put forward three options:
- Option One: No changes to the number of bands, but property values for each band will change to reflect the growth in property prices since 2003.
- Option Two: No changes to the number of bands, and properties would be revalued (as with option one). However, the rates charged for each band will change so that Council Tax bills “for households in lower band properties would fall, and bills for those in the highest band properties would rise”.
- Option Three: The number of council tax bands would increase from 9 to 12 following revaluation. The property values for each band would increase by a steady amount. As with option two it would also result in lower bills for those at the bottom and higher bills at the top.
There’s no date for the reforms to come into effect. The earliest option would be April 2025, though other options include 2028 or a phased introduction across several years.
It’s not clear yet precisely how many homes in the county will change council tax band.
BBC Wales reports the average house price in Bridgend during 2023 as just over £209,000. Meanwhile, WalesOnline figures suggest Bridgend would largely remain as-is when compared to neighbouring councils.
The Welsh Government’s consultation is open until 6th February 2024. The information is available here.
