Published March 11, 2016 at 15:34
Council Tax bills for the year April 2016 to March 2017 are being issued from 8th March 2016 and we wanted to provide some information so that you knew what each part of your bill means.
Although the bill as a whole has gone up Rossendale Borough Council has chosen to freeze its portion of the bill for a 7th year running.
The Council has to send out a bill for every property in March each year. If you need to contact us about your bill, you will probably find it more difficult than usual to get in touch with us.
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
Why has my bill gone up?
Your council tax bill is made up of different precepts – tax amounts for different local bodies. These are Lancashire County Council, Rossendale Borough Council, Lancashire Police & Crime Commissioner, the Combined Fire Authority and if you are in Whitworth, the Parish Council.
Some of the organisations have put their part of the tax up this year and some have not.
Rossendale Borough Council and Whitworth Town Council have not put council tax up this year.
Lancs County Council, the Police & Crime Commissioner and the Combined Fire Authority have put up their parts of the tax. The Government has allowed for an extra increase this year to help to fund adult social care. More details about the adult social care are included in the Lancs County Council leaflet
Do I need to set up my direct debit again for this year’s Council Tax?
No. Unless you have cancelled it, your direct debit will continue automatically. Your bill will show your current payment method and instalment dates.
I have told you about a change in circumstances, but it’s not showing on my bill?
The new bills dated 8th March include all changes that were processed up to 24th February. Amended bills will follow shortly.
What’s the best way to get in touch about my bill?
If you need to get in touch, you can email us at counciltax@rossendalebc.gov.uk . You can call us on 01706 217777, but please be aware that more than 40,000 council tax, business rates and benefit letters have been sent. Phone lines are likely to be very busy for several days.
Where can I get more information?
There is a detailed explanation of your bill below in the Your Council Tax Bill Explained guide we’ve created.
Answers to some more frequently asked questions can be found at:
www.rossendale.gov.uk/faqs/200028/council_tax
Details of spending in the borough funded by this can be found at:
www.rossendale.gov.uk/counciltax
www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/publications.aspx
www.lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/our-money/budgets/budget-201617
www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/finance