council tax

[malditako]

its april and another year for council tax....my husband added my name to the bill just now we thought putting my name a bit late would save us money and then "NO" as we ended up paying the previous months since i arrive here in the uk....so its almost 2 thousand pounds to be paid now...UK life grrrr

[joebloggs]

he was suppose to pay the full amount once you came to the UK

[keithAngel]

but the services the services

[gWaPito]

he was suppose to pay the full amount once you came to the UK

Agreed Joe. Jane entered uk Dec 6th so the additional council tax for Jane started from Dec 6th...so when applying for ilr, it will show all is above board. Im sure the ilr application states council tax bill is requirement.

The council had a problem getting the correct spelling for Jane even though I called then up twice.

2 thousand pounds is alot to pay back. My single occupancy tariff was 73 pounds a month, rising to 107 when Jane arrived. Going by the 2 grand you are having to pay back, that's 29 months worth!

Y ou were lucky you weren't fined as well, which may have been the case if you had of been reported.

[Englishman2010]

Council tax depends on the size and banding of the house you live in, and also on the local authority. £2K a year sounds about right, it's what I pay

[Terpe]

Council tax depends on the size and banding of the house you live in, and also on the local authority. £2K a year sounds about right, it's what I pay

Our latest is £2250 but I'm appealing against that. Same process every year, but seems no records of continuity. It's not good enough I will have to pay then if it follows the usual timeframe I will receive a rebate around November

[gWaPito]

Council tax depends on the size and banding of the house you live in, and also on the local authority. £2K a year sounds about right, it's what I pay

Point taken Englishman. The banding system is not being disputed

Im just stating the importance of paying your council as and when it should be paid.

No big deal for us British citizens but, for guests of the royal sovereign (our pina wife's on a temporary visa), it is important to get it right.

Whether you are paying 5 or 1 grand a year makes no difference.

I live in a shed, a shed that's paid for by the way, which would probably explain why you are paying more than me.

[Englishman2010]

I live in a shed, a shed that's paid for by the way, which would probably explain why you are paying more than me.

I don't exactly live in a Mansion either, mines the result of a left wing council who happily waste money on things we dont need

[Ako Si Jamie]

My single occupancy tariff was 73 pounds a month

So was mine, now it's gone down to £48 p/m

[somebody]

Dont mess with saving money on the council tax I.E forgetting to advise them if they find out and want to you can both be in serious trouble as the council tax and failing to pay can end up with you in prison

[joebloggs]

I don't exactly live in a Mansion either, mines the result of a left wing council who happily waste money on things we dont need

i live in a labour strong hold in Salford/Manchester,this years council tax is £1,184

i think if i remember correctly council tax is the only bill if you pay late, i think twice late you automatically lose the right to pay by installments

i had to back pay some council tax, thou only for a couple of months.

i was chatting with someone i work with last week about his water bill, he told me his water bill is £700+ a yr for him and his wife, we are both with untied utils but i only pay £30 a month for 5 for us

[Englishman2010]

i was chatting with someone i work with last week about his water bill, he told me his water bill is £700+ a yr for him and his wife, we are both with untied utils but i only pay £30 a month for 5 for us

I really am sick now hearing what everyone else pays, I live on my own, and don't waste water. The washing machine goes on 2 or 3 times a week, i use the dishwasher 2 or 3 times a week and I shower once or twice a day, i've moved the ball in the toilet cistern so it doesn't fill as much and I still pay £45 pm to the robbing gits at Severn Trent

[joebloggs]

I really am sick now hearing what everyone else pays, I live on my own, and don't waste water. The washing machine goes on 2 or 3 times a week, i use the dishwasher 2 or 3 times a week and I shower once or twice a day, i've moved the ball in the toilet cistern so it doesn't fill as much and I still pay £45 pm to the robbing gits at Severn Trent

i dont know where they get their prices from, still no water meters here yet

thou i'm at the price of electric and gas

[Englishman2010]

i dont know where they get their prices from, still no water meters here yet

thou i'm at the price of electric and gas

I switched my Elec and Gas from NPower to OVO and it went down from £145pm to £75PM, i've just given them my meter readings and I'm £250 in credit after the winter - mind you I wish I had turned the heating on when we had that cold snap from Nov to Jan

[Ako Si Jamie]

I really am sick now hearing what everyone else pays, I live on my own, and don't waste water. The washing machine goes on 2 or 3 times a week, i use the dishwasher 2 or 3 times a week and I shower once or twice a day, i've moved the ball in the toilet cistern so it doesn't fill as much and I still pay £45 pm to the robbing gits at Severn Trent

Something doesn't sound right there. I use a similar amount apart from a dishwasher which I haven't got and I pay around £110-£120 per year and that's with Severn Trent.

[somebody]

Blimey Englishman 2010 have you got Oil pouring out of your taps?

[gWaPito]

I pay my water bill 6 monthly. The last bill was 150 and I thought i was being robbed.

I used to pay by dd. No more. They were taking way over the odds.

We both shower twice a day then she may bathe as well. I water the garden and wash my car.

We have a meter because the house was built at the time when all new houses were having them fitted.

Council tax rates according to the government are being frozen for 2 years, correct me if im wrong. Looks if Jamie's is melting!

[Englishman2010]

Blimey Englishman 2010 have you got Oil pouring out of your taps?

Thinking about it, it's years since my water meter was read, I will take a reading and see where I stand

[Englishman2010]

Something doesn't sound right there. I use a similar amount apart from a dishwasher which I haven't got and I pay around £110-£120 per year and that's with Severn Trent.

That seems low, just my standing charges are more than double that. Are standing charges linked to the number of taps, toilets and bathrooms that you have?

[KeithD]

Everyone I know with a water meter pays less.

[Ako Si Jamie]

That seems low, just my standing charges are more than double that. Are standing charges linked to the number of taps, toilets and bathrooms that you have?

Not sure Englishman. Just looked at my last bill from the period Sept to Feb.

Water Supply @ 136.51 pence per cubic metre £10.92
Used Water @ 83.68 pence per cubic metre £6.69
Water Standing Charge £10.14
Used Water Standing Charge £4.77
Measured Drainage - Band 01 £10.80

Total £43.32

[malditako]

at least its all sorted now...they will send us another bill with my name on it....we live in a gate house of a mansion...country living. The house is not that big i can say though the garden is massive...as for water we paid 85 pounds for 5 months

[malditako]

i live in a labour strong hold in Salford/Manchester,this years council tax is £1,184

i think if i remember correctly council tax is the only bill if you pay late, i think twice late you automatically lose the right to pay by installments

i had to back pay some council tax, thou only for a couple of months.

i was chatting with someone i work with last week about his water bill, he told me his water bill is £700+ a yr for him and his wife, we are both with untied utils but i only pay £30 a month for 5 for us

that happened to us last year...paying late twice...thats why husband had to pay it in full amount,,,,we recieved two notice first is pink paper and the last one is white demanding the full amount if not they put the case in court....

bad memory can sometimes really put u in trouble

[Englishman2010]

Not sure Englishman. Just looked at my last bill from the period Sept to Feb.

Water Supply @ 136.51 pence per cubic metre £10.92
Used Water @ 83.68 pence per cubic metre £6.69
Water Standing Charge £10.14
Used Water Standing Charge £4.77
Measured Drainage - Band 01 £10.80

Total £43.32

Thanks Jamie, I've just checked my last Severn Trent Bill (April 2010 - Oct 2010)

Water supply 74m3 @ 136.51 pence per m3 - £101.01
water standing charge - £13.55
Used Water 74m3 @ 83.68pence per m3 - £61.92
Used water standing charge - £6.37
Measured drainage - Band 03 - £43.33

I was £29.71 in credit so they increased my direct debit from £37 pm to £45 pm

I don't actually know what any of the above means but I've just read my meter and I've used 33m3 water since the last bill almost 6 months ago.

In hindsight, the last bills would have been based on usage when my ex-wife was still living in my house, so usage will have gone down now.

[keeperlit]

we don't pay council tax here in northern ireland but we do pay a rates bill,,,but thank god its nowhere near as expensive as you guys pay ,,,,

[Ako Si Jamie]

Thanks Jamie, I've just checked my last Severn Trent Bill (April 2010 - Oct 2010)

Water supply 74m3 @ 136.51 pence per m3 - £101.01
water standing charge - £13.55
Used Water 74m3 @ 83.68pence per m3 - £61.92
Used water standing charge - £6.37
Measured drainage - Band 03 - £43.33

I was £29.71 in credit so they increased my direct debit from £37 pm to £45 pm

I don't actually know what any of the above means but I've just read my meter and I've used 33m3 water since the last bill almost 6 months ago.

In hindsight, the last bills would have been based on usage when my ex-wife was still living in my house, so usage will have gone down now.

The standing charges are fairly similar to mine so it looks like the amount of water you've used is what makes it so high plus the drainage. I reckon your missus must have been washing with Evian spring water

Also, the majority of my bills aren't DD. Much prefer to pay at the P.O.

[gWaPito]

I got monthly direct debits for everything apart from water, gas and electric.

They take too much. Its not money lost, its just sat in there bank accounts earning them interest while, in my case, it could be paying off debt saving me interest

[Doc Alan]

Yorkshire Water allows you to calculate how much metered water costs and see whether it's worth installing a meter (www.yorkshirewater.com), as may other water companies.
My metered water bill is £11 / month, gas and electric £52 with British Gas, and Council Tax £90 / month.
However, my lifestyle may not be appropriate for everyone. The central heating is set so that the temperature is always above 16 degrees day and night ( too cool for a filipina).
I'm also a member of a leisure centre and swimming pool, 5 minutes' walk away, costing £24 / month. A daily swim and shower there costs the equivalent of less than 60 pesos. Over the past two years I have never needed a shower or bath in my apartment !

[Rosie1958]

All newly built properties in the Anglian Water region have been metered since 1990. Water services charges before that date for existing properties that haven’t switched to a water meter are based on the rateable value of the property, (which was previously assessed by the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue donkeys years ago and does not take into account any property alterations since). It definitely pays to be metered if you do not have a large family. Indeed, for those living on their own where water consumption is below 70 cubic metres per year, there is a special tariff available for Anglian customers called SoLow which is cheaper than the standard tariff. For those of you living alone in other water company areas you might wish to see if something similar is available. Dishwashers can be extremely thirsty in the use of water, although manufacturers today are building them to be far more economical .

Standing charges are not based on the number of taps a property has, they are fixed charges to cover the provision of the supply that has to be collected, cleaned, pumped and then taken away.

Metering is by far the fairest way to pay as one pays for what they use after they have used it where as rateable value based charges are payable in advance.

I pay all of my bills by monthly direct debit and in several cases receive a discount for doing so. If you think that you are paying too much by that method, the utilities are always willing to review the amount and adjust it based on anticipated consumption.
My council tax bill has been frozen this year and I am paying the same as last, £129 per month for my son and I and water/ sewerage is £44 per month.

[gWaPito]

I actually did speak to British gas and Thames water about giving me a more realistic monthly bill.

Both tried to baffle me with figures and assured me what they were taking from me was the average consumption over the year.

When British Gas brought out the energy smart program, that's when I reverted back to monthly dd.

T heyrequest a meter reading every month I then get billed 2 weeks later. Im paying for what I use.

When the 6 monthly water bill comes, that is treated in a similar way. I give them a reading then im sent another bill.

An example of how much Thames water were taking far in excess of whats deemed average over the year. I stopped my dd with them. They didn't ask for any money from me until the following year.
B earin mind, I had only been with Thames water 3 years previous.
In other words, they took 4 years worth of bills over a 3 year period.
I had this out with them, they couldn't explain why.

These utility companies are getting extremely fat at the expense of the trusting British public.

Yes, they are giving you discount on your payment method but, it shades that into insignificance compared to what they are earning in interest from your money