HOME REVALUATION

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Claims that the Government intends to use sophisticated “spies in the sky” to detect people’s home improvements or amenities that would affect the value of their properties have been denied. The Conservatives, who have been carrying out an investigation into the council tax revaluation database, say that Northern Ireland is being used as a testing ground for the new technology, involving aerial photographs and satellites. Caroline Spelman, the Conservatives’ local government spokesman, said that in Northern Ireland, where a revaluation has just taken place, 21st-century technology was helping to locate new conservatories, garages, home extensions or scenic views, and to identify attractive neighbourhoods.

Ministers have already ruled out a council tax revaluation in this Parliament and denied the Tory claims that Northern Ireland showed that it was happening by stealth. Phil Woolas, the Local Government Minister, said, “We have made clear many times that Northern Ireland is not a testing ground for England and their system is completely different. There is no revaluation by stealth going on and a revaluation will not take place in this Parliament.” The Tories said that, contrary to ministerial claims, the Valuation & Lands Agency, which acts as the Northern Ireland council tax inspector, has teamed up with Ordnance Survey to use “oblique aerial photography” and “large-scale mapping” for tax valuations on people’s homes.

The two bodies have been combined into one “shadow agency” to facilitate data sharing between them. The technology is said to be accurate enough to pick out garden features, parking spaces and extensions. It can also calculate each home’s local tax bill by taking into account not just the size and features of the home, but also its location. Ms Spelman said, “Labour ministers may claim to have postponed the council tax revaluation, but in reality it is well under way by stealth, with Northern Ireland being used as the testing ground for new technology. A computer database is logging the precise characteristics of every home, including the number of bedrooms, floor space, and features like patios, gardens and parking spaces.” (Source: Times Online, Mar/07)

A picture guide to every home in England will be used by council-tax spies in a drive to push up homeowners' bills. The "illustrated guide" for council tax inspectors is the first full evidence of how far they are prepared to intrude into homes to collect the highest possible amount. The 80-page book carries 168 pictures of types of homes, which are divided into 99 groups. Inspectors are instructed to place every home into one of these groups.

They are then asked to decide if the householder should pay higher bills because of the neighbourhood and amenities of the house. Conservatories, swimming pools, balconies and parking spaces count to push up the tax rating. Granny flats do not escape the inspectors. The guide tells them to give a separate council tax rating to a granny flat, even if it has a door connecting it to the main house. The "spy's guide" appears to have been prepared as a prelude to a full-scale revaluation of every aspect of every home in England as part of a revamp of the council tax system.

Whitehall officials said the document has been prepared only to help in the regular revaluation of homes that occurs whenever a property is sold. This system has been in place for 14 years but the guide is understood to have been completed and made available to inspectors only last year. The document contains pictures of 168 different types of homes, from cottages to manor houses and even caravans, extensions and houseboats. All homes, the instructions say, should be put in a group to match one of these properties.

Inspectors are told to take account of "architectural style and characteristics" of a home when they decide at what rate its occupiers should be billed for council tax. Then they are given 66 "value significant features" to look for that mean a home will attract higher or lower council tax bills. Among them, those in gated developments will be rated higher while council houses will get lower ratings but the document makes clear that for those in "quality" homes, bills will not come down even if their home is dilapidated.

As an example, inspectors are told that a pre-1919 large villa or small Georgian house "is a quality dwelling and in this respect no regard should be had to its present condition or location when allocating the group". The instructions on how to adjust the tax codes apply to conditions such as a home with extra parking spaces, a swimming pool, a countryside view, or in a gated development. Inspectors have powers to enter properties to check on alterations and extensions. They expect to do this for one in every 100 homes.

The Valuation Office Agency said, "Reports of a 'revaluation by stealth' are pure invention. The agency has a duty to maintain the lists of council tax bands. It has done this since council tax was introduced by the previous government in 1993, nothing has changed." The agency already has pictures of 2.2 million homes on its database. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Mar/07)

Sir Michael Lyons said the business community did not trust town halls to set the rate fairly but he recommended that councils should be given the power to impose a supplementary business rate, in consultation with local companies, to fund infrastructure projects. Business rates are currently fixed nationally and linked to inflation, although the report did say changes could be considered in the long term.

Sir Michael also called for the introduction of new powers to allow councils to charge for waste collection and disposal, in a bid to reduce the amounts of rubbish going to landfill. He rejected suggestions that this would amount to "double-charging" of householders, who already pay for rubbish collection in their council tax bills, but said it would encourage people to compost organic waste and reduce the amount of packaging they buy. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Mar/07)