Council Tax information pack 2021/2022
A guide to Council Tax - including how we work out your bill, plus information from Basildon Council, Essex County Council, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority.
What is Council Tax?
Council tax is the local tax that's collected to pay for services provided by the council including housing, street lighting, refuse collection and libraries. A percentage is also given fund essential services provided by to Essex County Council. Essex Fire and Rescue and Essex Police.
Who needs to pay?
At least one person in each household is responsible for paying Council Tax. In most cases the person (or people) aged 18 or over nearest the top of the following list will be responsible for paying Council Tax:
- Owner-occupiers
- Leaseholders
- People who pay rent
- People who have a licence to occupy, such as people who live in tied cottages (housing related to their work)
- People such as squatters, who live in the property but have no legal interest in it (that is, they don't own or rent it)
- People who own the property but don't live in it.
People such as tenants, married people or civil partners can be jointly or separately responsible for all the Council Tax for their property. If a bill is unpaid, anyone named on the bill is liable for the entire amount - even if you and the other person had arrangements to pay half each for example..
Download the Council Tax information pack 2021/2022
Click the link below to download this year's quick guide to council tax, including information on;
- How we work out your Council Tax
- How we use Council Tax funds
- Council Tax bands and appeals
Download Basildon Council's Council Tax Information Pack 2021/2022 [980.73KB]
Other authorities who receive council tax
For more information on how other authorities (Essex County Council, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex and Essex Fire Authority) use Council Tax, visit their website(s):
- Essex County Council - Council Tax
- Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and Essex Police
- Essex County Fire and Rescue Service - Council Tax.
Dear Resident,
I write to you as Council Leader this year, knowing that the last year has been very different for many people across our borough. The human cost of COVID has touched many of us. I know that sadly, for many people we have lost friends, family and neighbours before their time.
It is also true that COVID has meant families have incurred financial losses from businesses being forced to close or from being furloughed. This financial impact of COVID won't end when lockdown is lifted. It will be felt for years and I am not going to pretend that recovering from the pandemic will be easy for anyone, including the Council.
Since March 2020, we have lost over £7.2 million in revenue and increases in expenditure, on top of the £1.6 million deficit the Council was already facing due to central Government cuts.
The Government promised every Council that they would fund all lost revenue and expenditure from COVID. However, they went back on this before Christmas and instead asked councils to fund the gap through imposing a 2% increase in council tax. I am not prepared to ask you to pay for broken Government promises. I am not prepared to introduce a COVID tax in Basildon. Therefore, Basildon Council will be freezing its part of the council tax for a second year in a row.
It is important to remember that 70 per cent of the Council tax we pay goes straight to Essex County Council, and a further 15 per cent goes to the police and fire services. That means over £80 million goes to Essex County Council each year to fix potholes, pavements and provide care services.
I did not expect the Government to come through for Basildon. That is why I began work in May to change the way the Council operates and commercialise our services to mean we can make up the shortfall without having to cut frontline services.
Despite COVID, the Council has a strong story of success to tell. We are regenerating our town centres, providing support for our businesses, communicating with the public differently and building the largest stock of new council housing since 1982.
I know times are tough and that there is a long way to go to ride the storm of COVID, but I believe in Basildon and I believe that as a borough we can bounce back even stronger.
Councillor Gavin Callaghan
Leader of Basildon Council
Share this page
