Last year, some households in Northern Lincolnshire managed to lower their council tax bills, but it came with some risks involved.
Grimsby: Last year, about thirty households in Northern Lincolnshire got their council tax bills lowered. But, it’s a bit of a gamble.
If you think your home is in the wrong council tax band, you can appeal to have it changed. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) looks into it and lets you know what happens.
Just keep in mind, your band could go up or down, so it’s a big decision to make.
Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, there were 190 appeals in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Out of those, about 63% didn’t change at all, but around one in six did see a reduction.
In North East Lincolnshire, there were 10 successful appeals, while North Lincolnshire had 20. If you’re curious about how this stacks up nationally, there were nearly 44,000 appeals across England and Wales last year, with about 10,530 getting a reduction.
But not everyone had good news. Some households actually saw their council tax bands go up. Official stats don’t say exactly where these homes are, but around 10 were in the South East and another 10 in the South West.
Some areas had better luck with appeals than others. For instance, in Rossendale and Rushmoor, 67% of appeals led to a decrease, which is the highest rate in England and Wales.
In Wrexham, it was 57%, and in several places, 50% of appeals resulted in a reduction. On the flip side, Hounslow had just 5% of cases that saw a decrease, and Leicester was at 6%.
It’s a mixed bag out there, but if you think you might be paying too much, it could be worth looking into!
