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The simple question to ask your neighbour that can slash your council tax by £1,000s
THOUSANDS of households could cut their council tax bill by simply asking their neighbour a straightforward question.
The savings, often amounting to thousands of pounds, result from successfully challenging your council tax band.
Government figures reveal that in the last financial year, over 27% of households who attempted to change their band succeeded.
However, before considering this, it’s wise to question your neighbour.
Martyn James, consumer rights expert, says: “Getting on with your neighbours is not only good for your lifestyle, it can save you a fortune.
“If you live in a similar sized property, have a casual chat with next door about what council tax band they are on.
“If you’ve been put on the wrong band, then not only could you reduce the bill, you could claim for overpayments going back decades”
“But make sure you check the bands online too – you don’t want to be responsible for your street paying more.”
Properties across the UK are put into a band from A to H (A to I in Wales), and this informs how much council tax you pay.
Your home’s band is based on its rateable value – the more expensive the property, the higher the council tax band.
However, the bands were created based on property values back in 1991 (2003 in Wales), so many households may find that based on today’s prices, they should be in a different band.
In this instance, you can challenge your council tax band – it could mean you are moved to a lower band and, therefore, pay less.
You’ll also get a refund of council tax going back to the date you moved into the property.
But a word of warning to anyone considering this – there is also a risk that you could get moved up a band and have to pay more.
According to the latest figures, a total of 30 challenges resulted in a tax band increase.
Depending on which band you are in, getting a reduction could potentially save you thousands.
However, the exact amount of money you can save moving council tax brackets varies depending on where you live.
Martina Brannigan, 26, couldn’t believe how “quick and easy” it was to challenge her Council Tax band.
She went from band E to band D, which lowered her council tax bill from £197 a month to £162 a month.
She was also told she would get a refund for the three months she had overpaid since she moved in.
Plus, instead of taking this as a lump sum payment, she decided to have this taken off her future payments, reducing them to £137 a month for the remaining tax year.
Elsewhere, mum-of-one Melanie Garraway previously managed to save hundreds of pounds on her council tax bill by challenging her band.
CHALLENGE YOUR COUNCIL TAX BAND
If you think your home is in the wrong council tax band, then you’ll need to place a formal challenge.
Contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales or the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) in Scotland to do this.
Gather evidence showing you’re paying more – this could be having addresses of similar properties to yours in a lower band, for example.
If the VOA agrees that your property is in the wrong band, it will contact you to let you know your band will be changed.
It can take up to two months for the VOA to review your case.
But be warned – challenging your band might not work.
While you could get moved to a lower band and pay less, there’s also the chance the VOA could find you’re not paying enough.
This could mean you’re moved to a higher band – and your neighbours’ too.
If you disagree with the VOA’s ruling, you can appeal your case – but only if you’ve been told that you can when you get the decision.
You must appeal within three months of your decision – to do this, contact the Valuation Tribunal Service.
If the Valuation Tribunal agrees with you, it will get the VOA to change your band – and your bill will change.
CHECK FOR COUNCIL TAX DISCOUNTS
IF you're struggling with your council tax costs, it's worth checking out whether you're entitled to reduce your tax bill, which can save you thousands of pounds.
Some people can even get their bills slashed by 100%, meaning they wouldn’t pay anything at all.
Here are all the other discounts available.
If you’re a pensioner
If you don’t receive the guaranteed credit part of pension credit, you could still get a council tax discount if you have a low income and less than £16,000 in savings.
If you live alone, you will get the 25% reduction, even if you’re not entitled to any benefits.
If you’re a disabled
People with certain disabilities can get a discount of up to 100%. This applies to anyone considered severely mentally impaired (SMI), which includes conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s or learning difficulties resulting from a stroke.
If you’re living with someone affected with an SMI, you could qualify for a discount, too.
To be considered, a GP needs to certify the SMI, and typically, they will need to receive at least one type of benefit, such as attendance allowance or personal independence payments (PIP).
Again, you can check your eligibility or that of a family member and apply on your local council’s website.
If you live alone
If you’re the only adult in your home, you can get a 25% discount on your council tax bill.
This includes if you’re a single parent with children under 18 in the house.
Usually, you’ll need to let your local council know to get the reduction.
Even if other adults are in your home, you might still get the 25% reduction, as some groups of people are “disregarded” for council tax purposes.
If you’re a student
Households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay any council tax.
To qualify as a full-time student, your course must:
- Last at least one year
- Involve at least 21 hours study per week
If you’re between 18 and 20 and doing A Levels or equivalent, your course must last at least three months and involve at least 12 hours of study a week.
If there is an adult who is not a student in your household, they will need to pay council tax, but should still qualify for a discount if everyone else is a student.
Phil Mitchell sparks concern as he’s isolated and alone in harrowing EastEnders spoilers
PHIL Mitchel faces an isolated and lonely period, hinting at a darker storyline ahead for the character in the BBC soap.
Next week in EastEnders, Phil is annoyed by Teddy’s low-ball offer for Peggy’s and dismisses him, saying there are other interested parties.
Both Sharon and Kat separately try to talk to Phil, who is becoming increasingly isolated.
But, Phil covers his emotions and refuses to open up to either of them.
Meanwhile, Teddy demands to know why his ex-wife Nicola has turned up.
But she retorts that she got a tip-off about Harry’s arrest and is here to help.
Nicola’s first order of business is to get to the bottom of Penny’s involvement in Harry’s arrest.
Harry is gunning for Penny following his arrest, and shares some home truths with Jack.
Nicola continues to get under Teddy’s skin and takes an immediate dislike to Sharon.
Nicola introduces herself to Honey and manipulates an invite to the lunch she’s arranged with Teddy and Billy.
During lunch, Nicola puts Billy and Honey in the picture about her marriage to Teddy, delighting in making him squirm.
Later, having bagged herself somewhere to stay, Nicola decides to stir things up even more when she overhears Teddy arranging to meet Phil to sign the club sale paperwork by cornering Phil for a chat.
The club sale continues to have an impact on Phil’s mood.
But he closes down Sharon’s attempts to talk to him about it.
Can anyone get through to Phil? Or will he be lonely this Christmas?
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
Phil Micthell's biggest EastEnders storylines
Phil Mitchell, a long-running character on EastEnders, has had many storylines, including:
- Alcoholism and addiction: Phil has struggled with alcoholism and addiction to crack cocaine.
- Cirrhosis of the liver: Phil was told he had months to live due to cirrhosis. He eventually received a liver transplant.
- Criminal dealings: Phil has been involved in various criminal dealings.
- Affair with Sharon Watts: Phil had an affair with Sharon Watts, which became known as “Sharongate”.
- Failed marriage to Kathy Beale: Phil was married to Kathy Beale, but their marriage failed.
- Feuds and rivalries: Phil has had many feuds and rivalries, including with his stepson Ian Beale and love rival Steve Owen.
- Murder of Dennis Rickman: Phil sought revenge for the murder of Sharon’s adoptive brother and husband, Dennis Rickman.
- Murder of his uncle Archie: Phil was a prime suspect in the murder of his uncle Archie.
- “Who Shot Phil?”: Phil was shot outside his home in a highly anticipated storyline that was described as a “Dallas-style” whodunnit mystery.
- Loneliness and mental health: Phil may face a storyline related to loneliness and mental health. Some fans speculate that his sibling, Grant, may reappear as a result.
Mandy Dingle’s lies exposed in Emmerdale as a devastated Vinny issues Tina with a shocking choice
EMMERDALE’ Vinny Dingle disowns Mandy Dingle after her lies are exposed.
Tina Dingle’s shocked to open the door of her caravan and find herself in a random field next week in Emmerdale.
A defiant Mandy demands that she leaves the Dingles alone for good.
However, Mandy’s outraged when she arrives back at the Dingles to find Tina already there with Vinny Dingle who’s overwhelmed by Tina’s bombshell, the truth is out.
Mandy begs him to listen to her reasoning, but Vinny quietly leaves once the two women argue intently with each other.
It’s chaos on Main Street when Mandy’s secret becomes public knowledge and feeling betrayed, the Dingles probe Mandy as Tina slips away unnoticed.
The Dingles demand answers.
Distraught to have been lied to, Vinny disowns Mandy leaving her devastated by the consequence of her actions.
The next day, Tina pleads her case to a steely Vinny, trying to assuage her own guilt.
She remains poker-faced when Vinny offers her a choice: stay in his life or take the 50k, return Zak’s will and leave for good.
What will she decide?
Elsewhere, Jai Sharma’s humiliated to hear that, despite his earlier refusal, Caleb Miligan’s offered Kerry Wyatt a job without consulting him.
At the end of his tether, Jai demands back the money Caleb hid for him in an offshore account.
Playing along, Caleb makes a call and proves that it can’t be done immediately.
Will Jai back down?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
Most complained about soap storylines
Over the years, all three of the main soaps have featured plots that have had even die-hard fans reaching for their phones and laptops so they can get in touch with Ofcom and complain. Here are just some of the most scandalous…
Joel Deering’s killer to be revealed in special Coronation Street flashback episode
JOEL Deering’s killer is revealed as soap’s biggest whodunnit comes to a end next week in Coronation Street.
Dee-Dee Bailey makes a huge confession next week on the ITV soap, and Joel Deering’s murderer is revealed.
Unable to live with the guilt, Dee-Dee heads to the station.
She tells copper Kit Green that the anonymous phone call he received was from her, after she hit Joel with a crowbar.
As she claims it was self defence and Joel was alive when she left him, Kit’s met with another shock piece of evidence.
Will Dee-Dee be arrested or is someone else in the frame?
The investigation into Joel’s murder continues.
And Lisa Swain tells Carla Connor that somebody planted her issue CS spray with the murder weapon.
She thinks she’s being set up and most likely by the murderer themselves.
She retraces her steps, trying to figure out who could have lifted the spray.
Will it lead her to the killer?
Or is Lisa trying to cover her own tracks?
Meanwhile, Kit calls on his next suspect.
In this exciting episode a series of flashbacks from the night of Joel’s murder are interspersed with Kit’s police interviews.
Corrie viewers finally get the view from the bridge and discover who delivered the final blow that really killed Joel.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8pm on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
Soap's biggest whodunnits
EastEnders – Who shot Phil Mitchell?
The “Who Shot Phil?” storyline was a whodunit mystery that captured the attention of viewers and the media. The episode revealing the culprit was watched by 23 million viewers. Lisa Shaw, Phil Mitchell’s former girlfriend and the mother of his child Louise, was revealed as the killer as Phil slept with Lisa’s best friend. Phil forgave Lisa, and they agreed to keep the truth a secret.
Coronation Street – Who killed Tina McIntyre ?
The popular actress Michelle Keegan played Tina McIntyre for several years on the Cobbles, but she ended up being killed by Rob Donovan in a tragic turn of events back in 2014 when he chased her onto the balcony of the Builder’s Yard. When she tried to leave, he pushed her and she fell off the roof, with Rob convinced he killed her. With Tina still alive, he attacked her with an iron bar but she survived that attack and was rushed to hospital as doctors tried to save her.
Emmerdale – Who pushed Emma Barton?
Emma was then pushed off a viaduct by Moira after she talked ill of her dead daughter Holly, who died of an overdose in October 2017. Although Moira was responsible for Emma’s death, her son, Adam Barton, took the fall for the murder since he was already a prime suspect and he didn’t want Isaac to grow up motherless.
Hollyoaks – Glove Hand Killer
The Gloved Hand Killer was a mystery serial killer, who claimed the lives of 7 characters between January and October 2015, all by injecting them with potassium chloride. The Gloved Hand Killer’s targets were all people who had done wrong in some shape or form. There were 6 suspects for who the Gloved Hand Killer was, and the killer’s identity was revealed in October 2015. It was revealed to be doctor Lindsey Butterfield who had been killing people at the hospital.
Five actions you can take NOW that could boost your State Pension by thousands of pounds
THERE are five simple ways you could boost your State Pension payments by thousands of pounds.
Almost half of those receiving the State Pension do not receive the full amount, according to data from pensions firm Royal London.
And, some of those receiving less than the full £203.85 a week under the new State Pension may be able to increase their payments.
Consumer champion Which? has highlighted five simple actions that could quickly boost your pension pot.
Most Brits start receiving the government-funded payments when they reach state pension age, which is currently 66.
But not everyone gets the same amount, and how much you are awarded depends on your National Insurance record.
Workers must have 35 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the maximum amount under the new State Pension.
The new State Pension is paid to those born after April 6 1951, anyone born earlier will receive their pension through the old scheme.
National Insurance qualifying years are earnt through work, or by getting credits, for instance when you are looking after children and claiming Child Benefit.
But, even if your record does not show 35 years qualifying years, you may be able to increase your payments.
Here are five ways you could boost your income:
1. Increase your qualifying years
It is possible to increase the number of qualifying years on your National Insurance record by paying voluntary Class 3 contributions.
These can be paid for up to six years following a tax year, so you would have until 5 April 2029 to make up for a missed year in 2022-2023.
If you’re considering filling in gaps through payments, first ensure that doing so will see you cross a threshold to increase your State Pension.
Payments can be made online through the Check Your Pension forecast service.
2. Claim NI credits for looking after children
Parents who receive Child Benefit while caring for a child under the age of 12 will receive Class 3 National Insurance credits.
These can be passed to grandparents as “specified adult childcare credits”.
Specified adult childcare credits can be awarded to family members who cares for a child under 12 while its parents or guardians are working.
The family member receiving the credits must be over the age of 16 and under the state pension age at the time they cared for the child.
Claimants also need to have been living in the UK.
To claim specified adult childcare credits, a parent or guardian of the child you care for must claim Child Benefit and they must countersign your application.
When you claim, the credits are transferred from the parent or carer who claims Child Benefit to the family member providing childcare.
This does not mean the parent or guardian will necessarily be worse off as if they are in work they are likely to be earning credits separately themselves.
3. Defer your state pension
If you reached state pension age on or after April 6 2016 it may be worth considering deferring payment of your State Pension.
Those born after that date can increase their pension pot for every week they defer payment, as long as payment is postponed for at least nine weeks.
The increase works out at 1% for every nine weeks, amounting 5.8% a year.
So, if you have other pensions or sources of income to rely on, you could be better off in the long term.
4. Check you have all the credits you’re entitled to
It’s important to double-check your National Insurance record to ensure that you’re receiving all the money you’re entitled to.
Which? highlighted possible errors including the large number of parents who have been underpaid as their ‘Home Responsibilities Protection’ (HRP) was not included on their records.
The consumer champion said that these and other errors have seen £594million paid to 99,558 individuals who were received less than they were due because of system errors.
5. Apply for Pension Credit
Pension Credit is designed to top up the income of the UK’s poorest pensioners.
It is currently worth up to £218.15 a week if you are single or £332.95 if you are part of a couple.
However, even if your income is higher, you might still qualify if you have a disability or caring responsibilities.
There is also another element to Pension Credit called savings credit.
To get this, you need to have saved some money towards your retirement.
With Savings Credit you can get an extra £17.01 a week for a single person or £19.04 a week for a married couple.
How does the state pension work?
AT the moment the current state pension is paid to both men and women from age 66 - but it's due to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046.
The state pension is a recurring payment from the government most Brits start getting when they reach State Pension age.
But not everyone gets the same amount, and you are awarded depending on your National Insurance record.
For most pensioners, it forms only part of their retirement income, as they could have other pots from a workplace pension, earning and savings.
The new state pension is based on people’s National Insurance records.
Workers must have 35 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the maximum amount of the new state pension.
You earn National Insurance qualifying years through work, or by getting credits, for instance when you are looking after children and claiming child benefit.
If you have gaps, you can top up your record by paying in voluntary National Insurance contributions.
To get the old, full basic state pension, you will need 30 years of contributions or credits.
You will need at least 10 years on your NI record to get any state pension.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Neymar limps off and fumes on sidelines after lasting just 30 minutes on comeback from horror ACL injury
NEYMAR limped off with a new injury less than 30 minutes into his return from a horror ACL setback.
The ace was forced to go under the knife a year ago after busting his knee while playing for new club Al-Hilal.
Neymar missed the entirety of the campaign as his side stormed to the Saudi Pro League title.
And two weeks ago the Brazil star made his tentative first steps on the pitch as a late sub against Al-Ain.
But last night saw Neymar come off the bench against Esteghal just before the hour mark for a proper reintroduction to football.
Al-Hilal won their Asian Champions League match 3-0 thanks to an Aleksandr Mitrovic hat-trick.
However, Neymar was unable to see out the end of the match.
After being on the pitch for just 28 minutes, Neymar pulled up after stretching his leg to receive a pass.
He looked to be in agony as he fell to the floor in a heap.
And the Brazilian ended up limping off the pitch while clutching his hamstring in another fresh injury blow.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Neymar showed his frustration on the sideline too as he threw his shinpads while looking despondent.
Neymar’s played just seven times for Al-Hilal following a £75million move from Paris Saint-Germain a year ago, scoring once in the process.
He is reportedly being paid £125m a year by the Saudi side — six times his salary at PSG.
But after the game, Neymar took to social media to assure fans he will be back soon by claiming his potential leg injury was hopefully just a cramp.
He said: “I felt like a cramp but very strong! I will do exams and hope it’s nothing more.
“It’s normal for this to happen after one year, the doctors already warned me.
“This is why I need to be careful and have more minutes to play.”
Fears grow for missing teen boy and girl, both 15, who vanished together as cops urge ‘call us immediately’
COPS are searching for a girl who is believed to be missing with a boy.
Bobby Mitchell, 15, and Tommy Riley, 15, are both said to have disappeared in the Harlow area in the west of Essex.
Bobby is described by the force as “very slim” with dark blonde, mid-length hair.
She regularly wears a gold chain with black clover leaves on it.
Police believe she was dressed in a cream, mid-length puffa jacket with a fur hood.
She was also wearing cream New Balance trainers with leopard print branding.
Bobby is from Stansted but cops think she is in the Harlow area.
Tommy is slim, about 5ft 3in tall, with shoulder-length, curly black hair and a goatee beard.
Essex Police wrote on X: “We’re working hard to find two teenagers who are missing in #Harlow.
“We believe Bobby Mitchell (left) 15, is with Tommy Riley (right), also 15.
“We’re concerned for their welfare.
“If you’ve seen Bobby & Tommy, please call us immediately on 101.”
