One Tamworth, Perfectly Placed

Your 2016/17 Council Tax explained

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Council Tax and Business Rates 2016/17

Contents page

Who does what?

Where does your money go?

Facts about your Council Tax bill

Local Council TaxReduction

Pay by direct debit

Where your moneyis spent

Single person discount

Handy contacts

www.tamworth.gov.uk

WelcomeNow more than ever, people areturning to their Local Authorities forsupport. It is therefore vital that wecontinue to provide those services thatare important to you.

As a result of further reductions in thefunding we receive from CentralGovernment we continue to work hardto ensure we retain high quality, valuefor money services for our residents.

This booklet outlines how we plan tospend our share of the money raisedfrom your Council Tax and BusinessRates this year. Please take a fewminutes to read through thisinformation.

You may find you are eligible to claiman exemption or discount, which couldreduce how much Council Tax you needto pay. See pages 5-8 for more detail.

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Who does what?This page highlights the main services provided by Tamworth Borough Council funded by your Council Tax.

Tamworth Borough Council

Waste Collection and Recycling

Collection of CouncilTax and Business Rates

Local Council Tax Reduction

Support for the Homeless

Parks and Open Spaces

Planning and Building Control

Street Cleaning

Environmental Health

Election Administration

Leisure Services

Promoting EconomicGrowth & Regeneration

The table below shows how much of your Council Tax goes to each Authority.

Who gets your money? Council Tax IncreaseYour bill is divided up like this (Band D) (subject to rounding) this year

Fire & Rescue Authority £70.33 1.99%

Tamworth Borough Council £161.75 1.99%

Office of the Police & Crime CommissionerStaffordshire (OPCC Staffordshire) £177.61 -

Staffordshire County Council £1,088.65 3.95%

Total amount Payable (Band D)* £1,498.34 3.16%

*This is the amount all Band D properties in Tamworth will pay for their core services. The actual amount of Council Tax you pay will depend on which Council Tax band your property is in. More than 80%of people in Tamworth will pay less than the Band D charge. Any discounts and benefits you are entitled to receivemay reduce your charge. For more information on Council Tax bands, discounts, exemptions and reductions pleasesee pages 5-9.

Statement concerning Adult Social Care funding — In relation to the year beginning in 2016, — The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made an offer to Adult Social Care Authorities.(“Adult Social Care Authorities” are Local Authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namelyCounty Councils in England, District Councils for an area in England for which there is no County Council, LondonBorough Councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)The offer is the option of an Adult Social Care Authority being able to charge a “precept” of up to 2% on its Council Taxfor the financial year beginning in 2016 without holding a referendum, to assist the Authority in meeting expenditure onAdult Social Care. Subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons, the Secretary of State intends to offer theoption of charging this “precept” in relation to each financial year up to and including the financial year 2019-20.In relation to the financial year beginning in 2016 the Secretary of State has determined (and the House of Commons hasapproved) a referendum principle of 4% (comprising 2% for expenditure on Adult Social Care and 2% for otherexpenditure), for Adult Social Care Authorities. These Authorities may therefore set Council Tax up to this percentage in2016 without holding a referendum.”

Summary of your Council Tax chargeThis table shows you what thisAuthority plans to spend in thecoming year and the amount it will raise from Council Tax.

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Where does your money go?

11p to Tamworth Borough Council

5p to Fire & Rescue Authority

12p

72pto Staffordshire County Council

Tamworth Borough Council

Gross spending (including Tariff) £55.054m

Less income (including Retained Business Rates) £47.841m

Net expenditure £7.213m

Less Central Government support £3.831mand Net Business Rates income

Amount to be raised from Council Tax £3.382m

To work out the Band D Council Taxwe divide the amount to be raisedfrom Council Tax by the number ofBand D equivalent properties inTamworth, after adjusting fordiscounts, exemptions and localcouncil tax reductions.

to Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Staffordshire (OPCC Staffordshire)

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Council Tax valuation bandsThe Valuation Office Agency, part of HMRevenue and Customs (not your localcouncil) has put every property into one ofeight valuation bands. A full list of valuationbands is available on its website atwww.voa.gov.uk (see table below).

Your Council Tax bill states which bandapplies to your home and your home’svaluation is based on an estimate of howmuch it was worth on 1 April 1991. Price changes since that time won’t affect the valuation.

Facts about your Council Tax billFind out more about your Council Tax bill, including information on discounts, exemptions and appeals.

How is Council Tax calculated?Your Council Tax is based on two adults living in a property.

n If only one person lives there, they are entitled to a 25% discount.

n If nobody lives there, the bill may be reduced. See page 6 for more detail.

n Certain properties could be 100% exempt even if they are occupied. See page 7 for more detail.

Please remember, if you are waiting for the outcome of an application for a reduction, youmust continue to pay your current bill. If successful, you will be entitled to a refund of anyoverpaid Council Tax.

Band Range of values Proportion ofas at 1 April 1991 Band D tax payable

A Up to and including £40,000 6/9

B £40,001 to £52,000 7/9

C £52,001 to £68,000 8/9

D £68,001 to £88,000 1

E £88,001 to £120,000 11/9

F £120,001 to £160,000 13/9

G £160,001 to £320,000 15/9

H More than £320,000 2

Could l get a discount?This depends on the number of adults inyour house and their circumstances. If any ofthe adults are on the list below, they may notbe counted for Council Tax purposes. If thistakes the number of ‘counted’ adults belowtwo, you could be eligible for a discount.

n Full time students, student nurses,apprentices, youth training trainees andforeign language assistants.

n Young people for whom child benefit ispayable and 18/19 year olds who havejust left school or college.

n Patients resident in hospital or beinglooked after in care homes.

n Severely mentally impaired people.

n People in hostels or night shelters.

n Low paid care workers usually for charities.

n Carers for a person with a disability whois NOT a partner or child under 18.

n Members of religious communities suchas monks or nuns.

n People in detention (except for non-payment of Council Tax or a fine).

n Spouses or dependants of students whoare non-British subjects and areprevented by immigration regulationsfrom working or claiming benefits.

n Members of visiting forces, certaininternational and defence organisationsand those with diplomatic privilege or immunity.

Reduction for people with disabilitiesIf you, or someone who lives with you, needsa room, an extra bathroom or kitchen, orextra space in your property to meet specialneeds arising from a disability, your bill maybe reduced. The bill may be reduced to that ofa property in the band immediately below theband of your property. If your property is inBand A, a reduction (equivalent to one ninthof band D) will be given. This reduction is notbased on your income or savings.

Empty and second homesYou may be able to get a discount on yourbill for empty homes. This will depend onwhere the property is. If your main residenceis elsewhere you will be charged the fullCouncil Tax for any home in Tamworth.Contact us to find out more. (See page 20.)

Type of home Discount Allowed

Empty & unfurnished up to 2 months 100%

Empty & unfurnished over 2 months None

Empty & undergoing 50% for major repairs up to 1 year

Furnished & 2nd homes None

In addition, properties empty andunfurnished over 2 years are subject to a150% charge to encourage owners to bringthem back into use. The Private SectorHousing Team can give you advice aboutbringing your property back into use.Telephone 01827 709486.

If you buy or rent a property that is alreadyempty, the reductions above may have beenused by the previous tax payer, the discountperiods will not start again.

Family annexes Most annexes in the Borough are exempt –see class T and W exemptions on page 7.However from 1 April 2014, a new CouncilTax discount of 50% was introduced forfamily annexes that are not exempt.

If you currently have an annexe which islived in by a family member or used by theresident of the main dwelling you canreceive a 50% Council Tax discount on theannexe.

The new discount is not based onoccupation or the annexe being furnishedbut on the use by the resident of the mainbuilding or occupation by a family member.If a non family member occupies an annexethe Family Annexe Discount will not apply.

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Could l be exempt from Council Tax?Some properties may be exempt from Council Tax.

Class Unoccupied properties which are:

B Owned by a charity (allowed for up to six months)

D Left empty by someone who has gone to prison

E Previously occupied by a person in permanent residential care

F Waiting for probate or letters of administration to be granted (continuous for up to six months after)

G Empty because occupation is forbidden by law

H Waiting to be occupied by a minister of religion

I Left empty by someone who has moved to receive personal care by reason of old age, disablement or illness

J Left empty by someone who has moved to provide personal care to another person

K Owned by a student and last occupied by a student

L Subject to a Repossession Order

Q The responsibility of a bankrupt person’s trustee

R A site for a caravan, mobile home or mooring

T Unable to let separately because it is linked to, or in the grounds, of another property

Class Occupied properties where:

M/N All the residents are students

O They are used for UK armed forces accommodation, whether occupied or not

P At least one liable person is a member of a visiting force

S All residents are less than 18 years old

U All residents are severely mentally impaired

V At least one liable person is a foreign diplomat being granted

W It is annexed to a family home and occupied by that family’s elderly or disabled relatives

Can l appeal against my Council Tax band?Yes, you may appeal against your CouncilTax band. There are several situations whereyou can appeal against the band in whichyour house has been placed:

n Within six months of becoming the newtax payer for the property.

n Within six months of the Valuation OfficeAgency making a change to the band.

n If there have been specific materialchanges in the property value.

Any queries about appeals and bandingsshould be made direct to the Valuation OfficeAgency. See handy contacts on page 20.

What if l don’t think l should bepaying Council Tax?You can appeal to your Borough Council ifyou think you are not liable to pay CouncilTax e.g. because you are not the resident or

owner, or because your property is exemptor you are entitled to a discount. You shouldnot withhold payment if you are making anappeal. You should pay as normal and arefund will be made if you are successful.

Changes in circumstancesIf you have been granted a reduction youmust tell the Council of any change incircumstances which will affect yourentitlement within 21 days. If you fail to doso you may be faced with a penalty of £70.For more details about Council Taxdiscounts and exemptions, see pages 5-7.

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The Borough Council is required undersection 6 of the Audit Commission Act1998 to participate in the National FraudInitiative (NFI) data matching exercise.Council Tax data is provided to the AuditCommission for this purpose and will beused for cross-systems and cross-authority comparison for the preventionand detection of fraud.

We advise Council Tax payers that the dataheld by the Council in respect of yourCouncil Tax liability will be used forcomparison purposes.

The eight District and Borough Councilswithin the Staffordshire area have workedin partnership with Staffordshire CountyCouncil to conduct a review of Council Taxdiscounts. The Council may share theinformation you have provided to the

Council Tax team, with privateorganisations employed to conduct datamatching for the prevention and detectionof fraud.

Data matching helps to identify fraud butit may also identify claims and paymentswhich are erroneous. Where a match isfound it may indicate that there is aninconsistency which requires furtherinvestigation. No assumption is made asto whether there is fraud, error or anotherexplanation until an investigation iscarried out.

If you are currently in receipt of a CouncilTax discount that you are not entitled to,or require further information, pleasecontact our Council Tax team. See handy contacts on page 20.

How we collect and use information

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Cuts to Local Government grants means that the new scheme for working age claimants isnot as generous as the previous rules.

Local Council Tax ReductionFrom 1st April 2013 a newLocal Council Tax ReductionScheme replaced theCouncil Tax Benefit schemefor working age claimants.

www.tamworth.gov.uk/council-tax-reduction-scheme for more advice and information about our Local Council Tax Reduction scheme.

The scheme for working age claimants,includes:

n Support is based on 75% of CouncilTax liability (restricted to Band D).This means that most working ageclaimants have to pay at least 25%of their liability

n Support continues to be based on100% of Council Tax liability forworking age people who get aSevere Disability Premium, or whohave a disabled child, or who claima War Disability, War WidowsPension or receive an Armed ForcesCompensation payment

n Second Adult Rebate has beenabolished

n From April 2016, maintenance isexcluded as income

Please note that there is a nationalscheme of regulations for people of StatePension Credit age who do not claimworking age benefits, which is broadly thesame as the previous Council Tax Benefitrules for pensioners.

GO TO

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You can pay your annual Council Tax or Business Rates bill in twelve instalments from Aprilto March, rather than ten, but you need to contact us in writing before 5 April 2016 if youwish to do this. We can also extend your monthly instalments through to March during theyear, but you need to contact us in writing if you wish to do this.

Council Tax Business Rates

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The money that Tamworth Borough Councilcollects through Council Tax helps pay forservices such as household wastecollection and recycling, street cleansing,and maintaining parks and open spaces.

We achieve all of this using around 11% ofthe Council Tax we collect from you eachyear. The remaining 89% is passed on to theCounty Council, the Office of the Police andCrime Commissioner and the Fire Authority.The money we receive from Council Taxhelps us achieve the single vision ‘OneTamworth, perfectly placed’ which isfocused on longer term, aspirational goalsof the Council.

To aspire and prosper in Tamworth

The Council and its partners have agreed towork together ‘To create and sustain athriving local economy and make Tamwortha more aspirational and competitive placeto do business.’

This will be achieved by:n Raising the aspiration and attainment

levels of young people.

n Creating opportunities for businessgrowth through developing and usingskills and talent.

n Promoting private sector growth andcreating quality employment locally.

n Branding and marketing Tamworth as agreat place to “live life to the full.”

n Creating the physical and technologicalinfrastructure necessary to support theachievement of this primary outcome.

Notable activity during 2014/15 included:n The first phase of the £500k project to

enhance Ladybridge between TamworthTown Centre and Ventura Park wascompleted.

n Plans to redevelop the Kerria Centre inAmington by building 44 new homes,Tinkers Green by building 108 newhomes and the outline planningapplication for up to 1,100 new homeson the former Golf Course wereapproved.

n £2.95m was awarded from the SingleLocal Growth Fund and £900k from theHeritage Lottery Fund towards the costof the Creative Quarter.

n £55k Heritage Lottery Funding awardedfor the creation of a new gallery devotedto Tamworth’s Saxon history and theStaffordshire Hoard at Tamworth Castle.

n Broadmeadow received Local NatureReserve Status, becoming Tamworth’ssixth Local Nature Reserve.

n The ‘We Love Tamworth’ event attracted10,000 visitors, hundreds attended theOutdoor Cinema, Heritage Open Dayattracted 6,000 visitors, around 8,000people attended the St. George’s DayCelebrations, more than 25,000 visitorsattended the Castle Grounds FireworkDisplay and around 8,000 peopleattended the Christmas lights switch-onin St Editha’s Square.

n Tamworth finished a runner up in the2015 Great British High Street awards.

Where your money is spent

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n Tamworth achieved a gold award for thesixth year running in the Heart ofEngland in Bloom competition.

n Tamworth Information Centre wasawarded gold for the third year runningin the visitor information category at theEnjoy Staffordshire in Tourism Awardand Tamworth Castle was highlycommended in the best Small VisitorAttraction category.

n The Council and Town Team DestinationTamworth won the Best All Round SmallBusiness Friendliness category at anevent run by the Federation of SmallBusinesses Staffordshire and WestMidlands Region, in recognition of itsongoing support for the town centre.

n More than 100 delegates attended thefirst Tamworth and Lichfield for Business‘Your Business, Your Voice’ eventdesigned to inspire and developbusiness growth in Tamworth andLichfield.

n The Council opted to join the proposedWest Midlands Combined Authority, ofwhich will allow for integration andcollaboration across member authoritiesworking together on growth in key areasincluding employment and skills, health,housing and transport.

To be healthier and safer inTamworth,

The Council and its partners have agreed towork together ‘To create a safe environmentin which local people can reach their fullpotential and live longer, healthier lives’.

This will be achieved by:n Addressing the causes of poor health in

children and young people.

n Improving the health and well being ofolder people by supporting them to liveactive, independent lives.

n Reducing the harm and widerconsequences of alcohol abuse onindividuals, families and society.

n Implementing ‘Total Place’ solutions totackling crime and anti-social behaviourin designated localities.

n Developing innovative earlyinterventions to tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

n Creating an integrated approach toprotecting those most vulnerable in ourlocal communities.

Notable activity during 2014/15 included:n The Sports Development Team worked

with sports clubs and otherorganisations to offer a variedprogramme of events over the summerholiday under Playscheme 2015. Morethan 3,000 children took part in 111 freeactivities.

n Under the Voluntary and CommunityGrants, Arts and Sports Grants schemesmore than £22,000 was awarded to 28organisations, to help them develop andprovide services for the residents ofTamworth.

n The I am Tamworth art projectencouraged people of all ages to attendarts events and take part in creativeactivities such as dance, drama, visualarts, music and writing.

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n The Housing Management Plus servicewas approved to protect tenants insheltered housing schemes.

n Operation Super Safer Nights Plus sawstaff from organisations - includingTamworth Borough Council, police, fireservice, domestic abuse groups anddrug and alcohol counselling services -patrolling the streets of Tamworth towncentre to inform and educate revellersabout how to stay safe, while at thesame time supporting the town’s night-time economy.

n A healthy growing, cooking and eatingproject, supported by TamworthBorough Council, won a national award.The WELLIES Grow it, Cook it, Eat it isrun by Staffordshire Care FarmingDevelopment CIC to teach people howto grow their own food at home andthen cook it.

n The ‘Healthy Cooking on a budget’course, run by Tamworth CIC inpartnership with Tamworth BoroughCouncil, gave tips to people of all ageson how to cook and eat healthily.

n Under a pilot of the Council’s newacquisition policy, nine homes for rentto people on the housing register werebought by Tamworth Borough Council.

The fact that our funding, resources andcapacity are collectively reducing willinevitably have a significant impact uponhow we manage demand and expectations.To reflect this, there will be a change infocus away from thematic topics –Prosperity – Health – Safety – Aspiration andmore towards being clear about our role,our relationship with customers and how wewill support them. The focus will primarilybe upon People, Place and Organisation andwe will align our priorities under thesethemes:

Living a quality life in TamworthTo achieve this we will:n Support and protect individuals and

communities that are or may becomevulnerable.

n Enable residents to improve their healthand quality of life.

n Work together with partners andresidents to tackle the causes ofinequality in Tamworth.

n Work together with residents tomaintain and improve a safe, clean andgreen environment.

n Work together to improve housingquality in Tamworth.

Growing strong together in TamworthTo achieve this we will:n Develop and support the local economy,

together with local businesses andpartners through our regional influence.

n Work with businesses and developers tocreate a vibrant and sustainable towncentre.

n Use our regional influence to support anenvironment where business andenterprise can flourish and grow.

Which means for the future...

The 2016/17 budget and Medium TermFinancial Strategy (MTFS) ensures thatappropriate resources are focussed on theVision Statement, Priority Themes,Corporate Priorities and Outcomes. TheCouncil has been proactive in the designand implementation of innovative andeffective measures for driving efficiency andreduce cost within the MTFS.

The budget setting process has facedsignificant constraints in Governmentfunding in recent years and the last 12months have been as challenging asprevious years if not more so. In an attemptto provide a clear ‘route map’ for thetransition from surviving to thriving, theCouncil has designed and adopted a seriesof strategic plans, policies and processes.

Through the capital programme over thenext 3 years, we will be investing £8 millionin priority areas identified throughconsultation with residents.

These include:n £45k for CCTV camera renewals;

n £750k on grants for private sectorhousing improvements;

n £600k on creating a new exhibition atthe Castle focusing on Saxon Tamworth,subject to successful grant funding bids;

n £4.9 million on the Creative Quarterincluding improvements to theAssembly Rooms, development of aBusiness Enterprise Centre and publicrealm works; and

n £1.4m to create welcoming gatewaysand routes to the town centre andidentify and promote key developmentsites.

To achieve our goals in 2016/17, Council Taxneeds to be increased by 1.99%. For over90% of Tamworth households this means arise of less than 6p per week (around £3 forthe whole year).14

n Champion higher skilled and better paidjobs in Tamworth.

n Work together to strengthen theconnections between schools/FurtherEducation & Higher Education/Employment to create opportunities forhigher skilled and better paid jobs.

n Adopt a commercial approach tomanaging Council assets in order toenhance the viability of the BoroughCouncil.

n Work together to preserve and promoteTamworth’s heritage, leisure and naturalenvironment.

n Work together to preserve our culture;preserve our heritage and sustain ournatural environment.

Delivering quality services in TamworthTo achieve this we will:n Provide accurate information via a fully

integrated Customer Services Centre.

n Work with customers to improve theiraccess to council services.

n Enable and support Tamworth residentsand businesses using our statutory andregulatory powers.

n Enabling greater public engagement inlocal decision making.

n Demonstrate value for money.

Delivering Value for Money

Despite the impact of continuing austerityand significant reductions in Governmentfunding, Tamworth Borough Council has, inthe main, continued to sustain a full suite ofessential services, and has recorded one ofits most successful periods in terms ofcustomer satisfaction; measuredperformance; project delivery and financialmanagement.

In 2013, Cabinet endorsed the overarchingdocument ‘Planning for a SustainableFuture’ as the strategy for meeting thefinancial challenges ahead, which enabledthe Council to generate significantefficiencies without any large scale impactupon the delivery of essential services.

In addition to significant savings, theSustainability Strategy also brought aboutchanges to working models, cultures andprocesses – such as Agile Working; DemandManagement; Joint Working; SharedServices; and LocalityDelivery/Commissioning.

The Council aspires to be an ‘outcomefocused’ and efficient corporate entitywhere customers are key. Integral to this is

the incorporation of ‘demand management’principles, whereby the Council will havegreater control over the alignment ofservices (‘supply’) to the increased needsand expectations of the public (‘demand’). 

The adoption of a Demand Managementoperating model was approved by Cabinetin February 2015. This signifies a shift awayfrom trying to sustain a full suite of servicesat high standards with continuing budgetreductions, to understanding the needs ofour customers and working with them toco-design how we meet those demands. Itwill also involve the application of existingand new technology to capture, collate andanalyse customer insight, intelligence anddata so as to understand not just the ‘need’but the cause, behaviours or decisionscreating the need. 

Linked with this, a major ‘Delivering QualityServices’ project has commenced whichwill include all customer-facingdepartments, and will incorporate a reviewof processes and demand, with the aim ofre-designing processes to meet changingcustomer expectations and making the bestuse of technology to deliver efficient andeffective services to the customer, includingself-service and digital functionality.

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Tamworth Fire & Rescue OPCC StaffordshireBand Borough Authority Staffordshire County Total

Council Council

A £107.83 £46.89 £118.41 £725.77 £998.90B £125.81 £54.70 £138.14 £846.73 £1,165.38C £143.78 £62.52 £157.88 £967.69 £1,331.87D £161.75 £70.33 £177.61 £1,088.65 £1,498.34E £197.69 £85.96 £217.08 £1,330.57 £1,831.30F £233.64 £101.59 £256.55 £1,572.49 £2,164.27G £269.58 £117.22 £296.02 £1,814.42 £2,497.24H £323.50 £140.66 £355.22 £2,177.30 £2,996.68

Percentage of 11% 5% 12% 72% 100%

Council Tax Bands 2016/17

Tamworth BoroughCouncil’s Net Funding

Council Tax Requirement Council Tax Amount Amount perCalculation per Person Band D Property

Budget We Need £6,735,014 £85.92 £322.19

Revenue Support Grant -£1,209,603 -£15.43 -£57.86

Business Rates (Net of Tariff) -£2,622,318 -£33.45 -£125.45

Subtotal £2,903,093 £37.04 £138.88

Add deficit from Previous Years £478,129 £6.10 £22.87

Council Tax £3,381,222 £43.14 £161.75

Why the Council Tax changes this year Amount

Raised from Council Tax 2015/16 £3.272m

Change in Council Spending

Inflation £0.489m

Change in Income £1.126m

Developing Services £0.093m

Savings and Efficiencies -£0.425m

Decrease in use of money from our balances -£1.579m

Sub-total £2.976m

Changes in Government Financial Support £0.405m

Amount to be raised from Council Tax 2016/17 £3.381mAll figures quoted above exclude the costs and income for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) as these arenot funded by Council Tax revenue.

Council Tax(£3.4m)

Revenue SupportGrant (£1.2m)

Net BusinessRates (£2.6m)

total Council Tax

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General FundThe Borough Council provides a wide range of services to local residents, businesses and visitors.

n Highways & Transport Services£0.3m surplus - (prior year £0.3m surplus)• Parking

n General Fund Housing Services£1.4m - (prior year £1.4m)• Private Sector Housing• Housing Benefit

n Other Costs£1.3m - (prior year £1.4m)• Corporate Management• Democratic Representation

n Central Services to the Public£0.5m - (prior year £0.3m)• Elections• Local Land Charges• Local Tax Collection

n Cultural Services£3.7m - (prior year £3.6m)• Culture & Heritage• Recreation & Sport• Tourism• Community Safety

n Environmental Services£3.0m - (prior year £2.9m)• Cemetery Services• Street Cleansing• Waste Collection &• Recycling

n Planning Services£1.5m - (prior year £1.5m)• Planning Policy &

Applications• Building Control• Community & Economic

Development

Council Tax Requirement 2015/16 2016/17 Increase/Decrease

Service Expenditure £39.397m £39.610m 1%

Service Income -£28.562m -£28.541m -

Net Cost of Services £10.835m £11.069m 2%

Council Tax -£3.272m -£3.381m

Deficit/Surplus of Trading Undertakings -£1.026m -£1.103m

Net income from investment interest, debt interestpayments and charges to HRA in relation to debt -£1.027m -£1.171m

Net Operating Expenditure £5.510m £5.414m -2%

Collection Fund Deficit / Surplus (-) -£0.810m £0.478m

Government Support -£1.608m -£1.210m

Business Rates (Net of Tariff) -£2.629m -£2.622m

Deficit for year £0.463m £2.060m

Adjustments required by statute or proper practices to ensure no impact on Council Tax -£0.317m -£0.335m

Total Decrease in General Fund Balances £0.146m £1.725m

£1.5m

£3.0m

£3.7m

£0.5m

£1.3m

£1.4m

-£0.3m

-1.00 -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00

£ Million

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Housing Revenue AccountIn addition, the Borough Council manages a Housing Revenue Account, specifically for themanagement of the Council’s Housing Stock. These services for the borough’s councilhousing tenants are funded through rents received and specific contributions.

Key Budget Figures for 2016/17:

Gross Income of: £20.0m Gross Expenditure of: £20.4mIncluding Including

Dwelling Rents Receivable £17.7m Costs of Repairs £4.2mOther Income £2.3m Supervision & Management £5.7m

Depreciation £4.4mInterest payable £2.9mCapital Expenditure funded by HRA £2.7mOther Expenditure £0.4m

Other Informationn We will employ 314 staff in 2016/17 compared to 344 staff in 2015/16. (These figures are

estimated full time equivalents and not actual staff employed).

n It is estimated that at March 2016 we will have £65.1m in loans and £32.1m ininvestments.

Environment Agency Midlands RegionThe Council Tax (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2011The Environment Agency is a levying body for its Flood and Coastal Erosion RiskManagement Functions under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and theEnvironment Agency (Levies) (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.

The Environment Agency has powers in respect of flood and coastal erosion riskmanagement for 2369 kilometres of main river and along tidal and sea defences in thearea of the Trent Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Money is spent on theconstruction of new flood defence schemes, the maintenance of the river system andexisting flood defences together with the operation of a flood warning system andmanagement of the risk of coastal erosion. The financial details are:

Trent Regional Flood and Coastal Committee 2015/16 2016/17

Gross Expenditure £51.205m £41.575m

Levies Raised £1.936m £1.975m

Total Council Tax Base 1.692m 1.727m

The majority of funding for flood defence comes directly from the Department for theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). However, under the new Partnership Fundingrule not all schemes will attract full central funding. To provide local funding for localpriorities and contributions for partnership funding the Regional Flood and CoastalCommittees recommend through the Environment Agency a local levy.

A change in the gross budgeted expenditure between years reflects the programme ofworks for both capital and revenue needed by the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee towhich you contribute. The total Local Levy raised by this committee has increased by 2.0%.

The total Local Levy raised has increased from £1,936,000 in 2015/16 to £1,974,720 for2016/17.

Single person discount If you live alone, or are the only person over 18 at youraddress, you are entitled to a 25% ‘Single Person Discount’.If you have already been granted this discount, it will beshown on your bill.

If you are getting a discount but your circumstanceschange so it no longer applies, the law says you mustcontact us within 21 days. If you don't, you can be fined £70. If you still don't inform us after that, you can be finedanother £280.

If someone moves out of an address temporarily, a single person discount does not alwaysapply, even when only one person remains; we have to consider whether their mainresidence has changed.

The Council is committed to detecting discount fraud and regularly checks discountsclaimed. We have recently undertaken a review with other Staffordshire Local Authorities ofall single person discounts. We have access to a wide range of financial, electoral, housingand benefit information to help us prevent and detect single person discount fraud.Reducing fraudulent claims helps us to keep Council Tax increases lower.

What should I do if I think someone is claiming a Council Tax discount fraudulently?

There are a number of ways you can tell us. You can do it anonymously, but if you do giveyour name we will keep it confidential. We have trained and experienced staff who canadvise you if you are unsure about whether to tell us what you suspect.

You can:n write to us at The Revenues Department,

Marmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth, B79 7BZ

n email us at counciltax@tamworth.gov.uk

n ring us on 01827 709530

It is important that you give us as much information as possible as this helps us to gather enough evidence to cancel the discount. Due to the Data Protection Act (1998) and Human Rights Act (1998), we cannot tell you what we have done about a case you have reported, but we will investigate all reports and take suitable action.

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Tamworth Borough CouncilMarmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth, Staffs, B79 7BZContact Centre ..........................................................................................................01827 709709Telephone Payments ..............................................................................................0845 2307709Refuse Collection and Bulky Items Collection ......................................................0345 0020022Email ................................................................................................enquiries@tamworth.gov.ukWebsite ....................................................................................................www.tamworth.gov.uk

Help Stop FraudFraud Hotline ............................................................................................................0800 854 440

Valuation Office AgencyListing Officer, Valuation Office Agency ................................................................03000 501501Valuation Office Website ....................................................................................www.voa.gov.uk

FireStoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, Pirehill, Stone, ST15 0BSwww.staffordshirefire.gov.ukFire HQ ......................................................................................................................08451 221155

In an Emergency Dial 999

PolicePolice Headquarters, PO Box 3167, Stafford, ST16 9JZwww.staffordshire-pcc.gov.ukPolice single number ................................................................................................................101

In an Emergency Dial 999

Staffordshire County CouncilNo 1 Staffordshire Place, Stafford, ST16 2LPwww.staffordshire.gov.ukMain reception ........................................................................................................0300 111 8000

Handy ContactsThis information can be produced on request in otherformats and other languages. Call 01827 709530