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Council Tax

Volume 508: debated on Tuesday 6 April 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average council tax bill on a band D home (a) was in 1997-98 and (b) will be in 2010-11 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in 2010 prices. (325329)

The average band D council tax in England in 1997-98 was £688 and will be £1,439 in 2010-11. The figure for 1997-98, in real terms based on April 2009 prices, is £931.

It is not possible to express this figure in April 2010 prices as the relevant deflator is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average band D fire precept on council tax bills was in (a) England and (b) each individual local authority in (i) 1998-99 and (ii) 2010-11 in (A) cash terms and (B) real terms in 2010 prices. (325330)

I have today placed in the Library of the House, a table showing the average band D council tax precept collected by billing authorities on behalf of fire authorities in 1998-99 and to be collected in 2010-11. Figures for 1998-99 at April 2009 prices are also shown. It is not possible to express these figures in April 2010 prices as the relevant deflator is not yet available. All the figures are shown in £ sterling.

Data are only shown for those authorities that collected, or will collect, a precept on behalf of the fire authority responsible for their area in either 1998-99 or in 2010-11. From 1 April 2004 combined fire authorities in shire areas became major precepting authorities, having previously been financed by payments from county and unitary councils in their area. Where an authority is not listed this is because the fire service is still run directly by the county council, and so they do not levy a separate fire precept on the billing authority.

In 1998-99 London authorities separately reported the band D council tax precept they collected on behalf of the London fire brigade. In 2010-11 this could not be separately identified from the general GLA precept.