Forum Topic

Hounslow Council Tax

I've had no notification of how much I'll be paying in 2021/2, not by letter or email.Anyone else in the same boat?

Susan Kelly ● 2032d24 Comments

Letter dated 16 March received on 19 or 20 March

Sue Rowe ● 2032d

Yes, I've had mine, Susan. Gone up by 6% - Curran and his mates don't come cheap.

Colin Jordan ● 2032d

Looks as if mine got lost in the post. I shall have to wait till I see it leave my bank account.

Susan Kelly ● 2032d

Managed to log into my account and find it. Now, it's perfectly possible that I agreed to go paperless at some point but then I expect them to email me to let me know when the information is available online.Is that unreasonable?

Susan Kelly ● 2032d

Nonsense. Government cuts and the need for Borough Councils to provide essential services are why the tax has to go up. What do you want to get rid of? Pavement maintains, rubbish collection?

Carl Wynne ● 2032d

I registered online last year and my tax bill was there last weekend for this new tax year. I live in a flat and noticed Hounslow's envelopes to the other flats have arrived, too.

Fay Kazemi ● 2032d

Don't forget the spendthrift waste of space in City Hall whose 'take' has risen exponentially so that he can have a big gas guzzler in which to drive and a press/PR corps that would put some small countries to shame.

N V Brooks ● 2032d

I've had no notification either.  I've just logged in to my account on the Hounslow website and tried the link to "Manage your Council Tax online", but that link isn't working at present.The payment hasn't been taken from my bank account yet.  When was yours debited, Susan?

Richard Jennings ● 2032d

"..it's perfectly possible that I agreed to go paperless at some point but then I expect them to email me to let me know when the information is available online."Likewise - I was keeping an eye out for a notification through the post, but when one failed to arrive, I logged in to my account and printed one off. No doubt they will be much more on the ball chasing up anyone who hasn't paid.......

Richard Greenhough ● 2032d

It's due to be taken on the 7th, Richard. I had no trouble finding the details this afternoon.

Susan Kelly ● 2031d

But Curran & Gang have awarded themselves a 40% pay increase, how wonderful in these financially trying times for many in this Borough !

Chris Vessey ● 2031d

I've found my details now. It's a link from the What is Council Tax? page that isn't working, but other routes work.Although I'm able to find out my new tax rate, isn't it a requirement of the Direct Debit system that any change in the rate must be positively notified to the account holder?

Richard Jennings ● 2031d

"..isn't it a requirement of the Direct Debit system that any change in the rate must be positively notified to the account holder?"In theory, yes, but in practice it can often be overlooked, which is one of the reasons I try and avoid direct debits. To pay council tax instalments, it is easy enough to set up monthly payments on-line, either each month or twelve monthly payments all set up at the same time.

Richard Greenhough ● 2031d

'isn't it a requirement of the Direct Debit system that any change in the rate must be positively notified to the account holder?'The same thought occurred to me. Other organisations have no problem notifying us of varied monthly billings.

Susan Kelly ● 2031d

"In theory, yes, but in practice it can often be overlooked, which is one of the reasons I try and avoid direct debits."In my experience, notification of a change of payment is very rarely overlooked.  Currently I have 19 active direct debits for annual or monthly payments, and I would hate to have to process payments myself.  Yes, I'm sure you can set up a year's worth of payments very easily, but doing that 19 times when the DD system can do it all for me is drudgery that I gladly avoid.

Richard Jennings ● 2031d

"Other organisations have no problem notifying us of varied monthly billings."Indeed.  To be fair, I think this is the first time in 20 years that I have not received Hounslow's annual notification.

Richard Jennings ● 2031d

'Currently I have 19 active direct debits for annual or monthly payments, and I would hate to have to process payments myself.'Absolutely. Direct Debits are very safe.

Susan Kelly ● 2031d

"Direct Debits are very safe."Not in my experience.

Richard Greenhough ● 2031d

"What do you want to get rid of? Pavement maintains, rubbish collection?"Can I point out that the alternative 2021/22 budget submitted by Hounslow's Conservative Group would have frozen the LBH element of the Council Tax AND increased expenditure on social care.This was a legally compliant budget according to the Section 151 Officer - so no slight of hand just better financial management.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 2031d

For the last three years I’ve been emailed by LBH around 18/19th March to let me know that my new council tax bill is ready to view online but I’ve had no such email this year.

Michael David Rowe ● 2031d

Richard, the Direct Debit rules mean that if you query any then your bank must refund you at once while it investigates. I don't see how you can be any safer than that. Like Richard Jennings, I have dozens of DDs and have had for decades and have experienced precisely zero problems.

Susan Kelly ● 2031d

I raised this issue on behalf of a resident who emailed me.  I've had a reply today which I thought you would like to see: "We have investigated further and it appears as though there may have been a problem with the delivery of the notification files to some of our residents on E-billing.  We have therefore taken a decision to reissue the council tax notification to all our residents who use E-billing.  Fortunately the residents affected would still have had access to their account and the bill for 2021/22 as their log-in credentials would remain the same as when registered. "The notification will be accompanied with an explanation."

Joanna Biddolph ● 2021d

Just received an e-mail containing the following :"Your 2021/22 Council Tax bill is available to view online. We did write to you in March to notify you that your bill is available and can be accessed from your online account, however we have now been advised that some of you may not have received your notification due to an issue with the emails. If you did not receive your email and have not paid the first instalment due on 1 April, please don’t worry, call us on 020 8583 4242 or email us at customer.experience@hounslow.gov.uk and we will adjust your account accordingly."

Richard Greenhough ● 2016d

I finally got my email on 17th April, about a month later than previous years. I’d already viewed my bill online anyway but they should send these out before the new payment is due. I imagine they are too busy planning more road closures etc.

Michael David Rowe ● 2016d