At present all properties in the UK are assigned a tax band for council tax based on the value of the property. For England this is based on 1 April 1991 values and there has been no announcement to change this. This is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government and properties were re-evaluated on 1 April 2003. The Welsh Government have now announced another round of re-banding for all properties in Wales to take effect on 1 April 2025 (see here). So what implications does this have for residents in Wales?
According to Land Registry data (see here) the average property in Wales at the time of the last re-banding was valued at £82,645. In April 2019 that had almost doubled to £161,456 leading to a larger proportion of the Welsh population paying council tax for a property that didn't reflect the tax band their property were now in. Therefore it is likely many residents will find their council tax increasing by anything up to double what they are paying now in the 2025 change.
So what implications does this have on you and your estate? For most, it will certainly put a strain on household incomes at a time when the cost of living crisis is already hitting hard. The question is how will this increase in revenue for councils be used? With some local councils (Swansea, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly and Camarthenshire) having over £150m in reserves as of 2019 (see here) they may find residents finding it difficult to accept the need for this at a time of great financial hardship for many.
