Each Council receives money from the Government in the form of Revenue Support Grant and retains a proportion of the income from Business Rates. This helps cover the cost of local services. The money received from the Government is not enough to cover the whole cost of Council services. The balance is funded from the Council Tax.
Your district council sends you a bill which is made up of charges from County Council, District Council, Fire and Police authorities, and parish or town council. The money collected on behalf of those organisations pays for local services. These services include:
• Education
• Fire & Police services
• Social Services
• Cultural Services
• Environmental Services
• Planning
Each year the Council identifies its spending needs and is advised of the money it will receive from Central Government. From this, the amount to be funded by Council Tax is derived.
The Authority then calculates how much the charge will be for a band D property. The charges for the other bands are then calculated using the following proportions of the band D charge:
Council Tax is base part on property and part on people. The property element is 50% and the people element is 50% with the assumption of 2 adult occupiers representing 25% each. Where this is not the case reductions in the form of discounts and exemptions may be applicable. For further details on available reductions please see the discount and exemption pages. Other reductions are available for people on low income and where the property has adaptations for use by a disabled person.
For more information on the services provided and how your Council Tax is used please refer to the annual leaflets below:
Breckland Council
Leaflet 10/11 • Leaflet 11/12
East Cambs District Council
Leaflet 10/11 • Leaflet 11/12
Forest Heath District Council
Leaflet 10/11 • Leaflet 11/12
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Leaflet 11/12
