§ Baroness Jegerasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to reduce the waiting time of appellants against banding for council tax 11WA purposes; and what recompense will be made to successful appellants who are shown to have been over-paying this tax since its institution.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Viscount Ullswater)Waiting times for appellants should drop substantially once the bulk of the appeals made during the initial period have been disposed of. 80 per cent. of initial appeals are expected to be settled in England and Wales by the end of December; that figure had already been exceeded in many areas by the end of November. In Scotland 78 per cent. of initial appeals had been settled by the end of September, the latest date for which figures are available. The remainder will be settled as early as possible in the new year. Where the banding of a dwelling is lowered following an appeal, the council tax bill is recalculated, and any overpayment is either refunded or credited against future council tax liabilities.