- Council provides funds to help small businesses
- Financial help for keeping warm this winter
- Improve your health at York House
- Heathrow's airtrack train plan criticised
- Have your own say on Academies
- Mayor's Christmas invite
- Net closing on Council Tax cheats
- Step pedal jump your way to rugby!
- Borough has the lowest level of alcohol fueled crimes in London
- Play safe at Halloween warning
- Enjoy a week of entertainment at Heathfield centre
- Spreading the safety message
- New funding agreed to combat the recession
- Support your local lollipop person
- Disappointment as Boris' public transport costs rise
- Ham and Petersham win £100,000 for low carbon zone
- Borough children's favourite nursery rhyme revealed on Bookstart Day
- Eastender at East Sheen Library
- Destination Richmond
- Green fingers win prizes for winning allotments
- Free flood warnings for residents at risk in Richmond
- Huge turnout for older people's event
- RISE event success
- Best Cemetery Award for Richmond and East Sheen
- Take part in Black History Month celebrations
- World Sight Day celebrated
- Question time comes to Richmond
- 2M fears local people may loose out to Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC)
- 1,000 people control their social care budgets
- £2.85 million for new homes
- Richmond Council confirms sponsor for Shene Academy
- Richmond Council extends CO2 parking
Release Date: 27/10/2009
Net closing on Council Tax cheats
Council Tax dodgers in the borough could soon be found out - Richmond Council is preparing to search its records to find the small number of people who are fraudulently claiming single person discount on their Council Tax bill.
The 25 per cent discount is only available to those who live alone and the Council is about to start a data matching exercise where the number of residents living in homes across the borough listed on the electoral roll will be checked against names on the Council Tax register. If discrepancies are found, the householder will be contacted to arrange for payments to be changed, and as a last resort, legal action could be taken.
The Council is also considering working with credit reference agencies to check details with their databases of names and addresses.
Cllr Stephen Knight, Richmond Council’s Deputy Leader said: “The vast majority of residents don’t claim this discount unless they are entitled to it as the only person living in their home, but we know there are a small number out there who fraudulently claim this money when they are not living alone.
“The Council has a duty to other taxpayers to make sure it collects all the money it is owed, which helps to pay for important work like keeping the borough the safest in London, looking after older people and arranging foster care for vulnerable children.
“Our residents expect value for money in all the services we provide, and we’re keen for everyone to know we will now be focussing on stamping out this fraud in the borough.”
Research in other boroughs has shown that on average 1 in 17 claims for the single person discount are not genuine. In Richmond upon Thames, there are just over 25,000 properties with residents claiming the discount, just under a third of all homes in the borough.
On an average Band D property, the discount equates to a saving of £399 on the 2009-10 bill. For the most expensive homes in Band H, the saving is worth £798 a year.
The Council wants to ensure everyone is paying the correct amount and there may be homes where a resident does not know they are entitled to the discount in which case the Council can reduce their bill.
For more information on Council Tax and the Single Person Discount, contact the Council on 020 8891 7724 or email: counciltax@richmond.gov.uk.
View the full press release