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TV show costs councils
6:45pm Thursday 24th January 2008
Comments (18)SIR TREVOR McDonald is being blamed for the loss of millions of pounds from Oxfordshire's councils.
A television documentary hosted by the News at Ten presenter resulted in hundreds of residents successfully appealing against their council tax banding.
It means thousands of pounds are having to be handed back to residents who have been overcharged over years, with councils in Oxfordshire estimating that it will cost them more than £2m next year.
It has emerged that some of the banding reductions must be backdated 15 years, resulting in some householders being paid back sums in excess of £2,000.
The banding changes hit councils in two ways - reducing the amount of council tax they receive and also burdening them with one-off repayments to people who have been incorrectly banded.
As Oxford City Council was finalising its budget, councillors were being warned that the banding appeals meant the council would end up with £200,000 less from council tax next year than it had been expecting.
Oxfordshire County Council, which receives the biggest proportion of council tax money, confirmed it would be £1.8m down next year.
The councils were taken aback by the scale of the local public response to the Tonight with Trevor McDonald programme that went out last year.
It highlighted how thousands of homes were in the wrong band because of inaccurate valuations carried out back in 1991.
It resulted in more that 300 families in Oxford alone successfully appealing to win council tax reductions of up to £120 a year.
Those living in the same property since the introduction of council tax are entitled to rebates back to 1993.
The scale of the problem will be set out in a financial paper to the city council executive on Monday.
Councillors are told: "Primarily as a result of a Trevor McDonald TV documentary, we have received a large number of banding reductions, some of which go back to April 1993.
"These changes indicate that the tax bases previously estimated for 2008-9 onwards were overstated. These have been amended accordingly, resulting in a reduction in the estimates of the council tax yield."
The blow to the councils could not come at a worse time for the financially-pressed city council, which is faced with making savings of £8.1m.
It will also put pressure on the Liberal Democrat administration's hopes of a below-inflation council tax increase of around two per cent.
Jim Campbell, executive member for finance at the city, said: "It means that our projected income is less than expected. This is certainly another pressure.
"If Oxford is typical, it seems to have been a very important programme. It seems that one programme has done a great service to a number of individuals across the country, if not to the local authorities who collect the council tax.
"But all these complications show what an unsatisfactory and flawed system council tax is."
It means the city council's share of council tax receipts, estimated to be £11.54m will have to be downsized by close to two per cent, eating up practically all the proposed council tax increase.
Charles Shouler, Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for finance, said: "There have been appeals, with people having banding reduced. The net effect is that we will have £1.8m less than we would have had. This is money that could have meant more investment in services, or it might have allowed us to reduce council tax increases to 3.5 per cent, if this had not occurred.
"But we have to live with the facts of the situation. The refund payments will be a one-off but the changes to the council tax base will be ongoing."
Council tax charges depend on the 1991 valuation of house prices.
Homes were graded from A to H. But there were suggestions of 'second gear valuations', with estate agents simply driving past houses to allocate bands.
Tonight with Trevor McDonald highlighted how consumers could check the tax band of neighbours and similar properties on the internet, holding out the prospect of millions of householders being able to claim back thousands of pounds.
The Vale of White Horse and other district councils confirmed that they had experienced an increase in banding appeals.
Meanwhile, Oxford City Council is facing another major financial pressure, with councillors next week being asked to set aside £800,000-a-year over three years as a result of a staff pay review.
It follows a job evaluation exercise, partly introduced to ensure equal pay among sexes, which has established that a significant number of its staff have been underpaid. Local authorities were ordered by the Government to carry out "a single status" review, designed to make the salary structure fairer.
But it is certain to lead to widespread upgrading. About a third of staff, however, may find they have been overpaid.
Your Say Yourthisisoxfordshire
student, Oxford says...
8:10pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Ed, Oxford says...
8:33pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but you aren't local to Oxford and therefore do not contribute in taxation to local services. Oxford's large student population use services the rest of us pay through the nose for. Students living in rented premises mean that housing stock is significantly impacted meaning less property for locals to purchase, thus squeezing us out to the suburbs and towns.
Were there fewer students, there would be a reduced housing shortage and our council tax wouldn't be as high.
In reality the council tax needs abolishing and replacing with a local sales tax or something.
DanOxford, Oxford says...
9:35pm Thu 24 Jan 08
This is also unfair as student accomodation is built within the ring road whenever sites become available (Headington, Oxford Story site, Radcliffe infirmary, Cowley Road where the tattoo shop is...) and family homes are split up into student digs, meaning local people are focrced further out and have less access to services THEY pay for.
Clearly a fifth of the population in this one group alone not paying is going to push the burden up for those that DO pay- exactly as the influx of transient migrants sharing several to a house does.
Oxford reflects the national situation where we are continually told that more is better, that we can take any amount of expansion and that it's all for the good.
Blaming Sir Trevor for pointing out that people have been overcharged for their Council tax while the real reasons are neatly sidestepped is a spin too far for me I'm afraid.
HalyBurton, Oxford says...
9:59pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Without the University, Oxford would be another Slough or Reading, (in)famous for being characterless and dull places to live. You cannot blame the splitting of houses on students, but the landlords that greatly profit from them. You cannot blame students for the ineptitude of the local council, and you cannot blame students for the 'high' taxes paid locally. University commerce keeps the city centre alive.
tim, abingdon says...
10:21pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Mr B, Oxford says...
1:34am Fri 25 Jan 08
HalyBurton wrote:University commerce keeps the city centre alive. Darned right it does! The Off-licences do tremendously well what with the students and the homeless rogues of Oxford. Mind you, its jolly hard to tell them apart sometimes. Very often its that the homeless have dog on a string and the student goths have a girlfriend on a string...
Come on Dan of Oxford - assuming that you venture inside the ring road from time to time, you must realise how much students contribute to the city economy, how quiet the city is out of term time, and how little character the city would be without them. Without the University, Oxford would be another Slough or Reading, (in)famous for being characterless and dull places to live. You cannot blame the splitting of houses on students, but the landlords that greatly profit from them. You cannot blame students for the ineptitude of the local council, and you cannot blame students for the \'high\' taxes paid locally. University commerce keeps the city centre alive.
HalyBurton, Ox says...
4:22am Fri 25 Jan 08
Inhabitants of Oxford are lucky to live in (or near to) one of the UKs, if not the world's finest cities in terms of history, architecture and culture. It seems often that many of them forget that, or at least take it far too much for granted. Take out the University and you are left with another Blackbird Leys or Temple Cowley. The country is full of grey and lifeless places like that.
Take some pride in the unique city that we have, complain less and make an effort to continue its successes. Lets face it, most of these are University led.
R., witney says...
8:03am Fri 25 Jan 08
Dave, Abingdon says...
10:51am Fri 25 Jan 08
DanOxford, Oxford says...
10:56am Fri 25 Jan 08
HalyBurton wrote:Working people earn more than students, therefore it stands to reason that the local economy would not collapse without them. What businesses do local students actually support to any great extent, other than the pubs?
Come on Dan of Oxford - assuming that you venture inside the ring road from time to time, you must realise how much students contribute to the city economy, how quiet the city is out of term time, and how little character the city would be without them. Without the University, Oxford would be another Slough or Reading, (in)famous for being characterless and dull places to live. You cannot blame the splitting of houses on students, but the landlords that greatly profit from them. You cannot blame students for the ineptitude of the local council, and you cannot blame students for the \'high\' taxes paid locally. University commerce keeps the city centre alive.
The 'character' argument is rather baseless- does getting a place at University mean a person is inherently more 'interesting' than someone who simply works for a living? Personally I feel that Oxford is often worse off for the frequently loud, boorish behaviour of a group of people who treat the city as a playground for fancy dress three legged pub crawls.
Landlords are able to make a profit due to the very high (and rising) demand for low quality, poorly maintained properties occupied by students. This forces local people to move further out and contributes to the general mess and uncared for appearance typical of areas where students and other transient residents live.
As for the city being 'quiet' outside of term time (briefly- before the language students arrive to clog the centre up by blocking the pavement outside fast food outlets) this is VASTLY preferable to Oxford during term.
Blackbird Leys is actually better cared for than East Oxford due to local residents taking more care in their properites than students do.
I actualy find the suggestion that without a large student population Oxford would suddenly become a bleak, grey cultural desert offensive. Oxford is home to numerous bright, creative working people, many of whom could live inside the ring road and would use local pubs more if they weren't so full of the cockattooed buffoons and horsey gals who make them so intolerable during term time.
DanOxford, Oxford says...
10:58am Fri 25 Jan 08
Postgraduates who are writing up their PhDs are currently under a postcode lottery about whether they are council tax exempt or not depending on their institution/departme
nt or supervisor.' http://www.officeron
line.co.uk/blogs/ric
hardangell/272704.as
px
And where do you think central government find the cash to reimburse the local councils for student exemptions? That would be taxation then.
Which government body that does the valuations is largely irrelevant- the programme highlighted mistakes resulting in residents being overcharged.
Blaming Sir Trevor for the Council tax shortfall is a step too far for me I'm afraid.
John, near-enough Oxford says...
1:17pm Fri 25 Jan 08
Last year, Band D council tax for the districts (ie just for that authority, ie not the parish, police or County Council portions) in Oxfordshire were:
Cherwll DC (Conservative): £118
Oxford City (Lib Dem): £225.49
South Oxon DC (Conservative): £116.17
Vale WH DC (Lib Dem): £ 102.07
West Oxon DC (Conservative): £71.36
They all provide broadly the same services. The City is rated "Poor" by the Audit Commission, SODC is rated "Excellent".
Go figure.
PS Student: Businesses don't pay council tax, they pay business rates (NNDR) and that all goes into the governments coffers, not the councils'. But we're glad to have you :)!
halyburton, Oxford says...
4:54pm Fri 25 Jan 08
DanOxford wrote:Supermarkets and other food retailers? There are a great number of city centre and Cowley stores that are significantly helped by student trade. And lets not forget tourism. Again, how many people visit Slough or Birmingham for the scenery?
HalyBurton wrote:Working people earn more than students, therefore it stands to reason that the local economy would not collapse without them. What businesses do local students actually support to any great extent, other than the pubs?
Come on Dan of Oxford - assuming that you venture inside the ring road from time to time, you must realise how much students contribute to the city economy, how quiet the city is out of term time, and how little character the city would be without them. Without the University, Oxford would be another Slough or Reading, (in)famous for being characterless and dull places to live. You cannot blame the splitting of houses on students, but the landlords that greatly profit from them. You cannot blame students for the ineptitude of the local council, and you cannot blame students for the \'high\' taxes paid locally. University commerce keeps the city centre alive.
The 'character' argument is rather baseless- does getting a place at University mean a person is inherently more 'interesting' than someone who simply works for a living? Personally I feel that Oxford is often worse off for the frequently loud, boorish behaviour of a group of people who treat the city as a playground for fancy dress three legged pub crawls.
Landlords are able to make a profit due to the very high (and rising) demand for low quality, poorly maintained properties occupied by students. This forces local people to move further out and contributes to the general mess and uncared for appearance typical of areas where students and other transient residents live.
As for the city being 'quiet' outside of term time (briefly- before the language students arrive to clog the centre up by blocking the pavement outside fast food outlets) this is VASTLY preferable to Oxford during term.
Blackbird Leys is actually better cared for than East Oxford due to local residents taking more care in their properites than students do.
I actualy find the suggestion that without a large student population Oxford would suddenly become a bleak, grey cultural desert offensive. Oxford is home to numerous bright, creative working people, many of whom could live inside the ring road and would use local pubs more if they weren't so full of the cockattooed buffoons and horsey gals who make them so intolerable during term time.
'Character' - buildings, atmosphere and people all contribute. And pubs, which you rightly point out benefit from students too.
I doubt that there is a stat for the number of students that settle in Oxford, but university contriubtes >30,000 jobs directly to the local area. Most of these people paying your all so significant council taxes!
It seems entirely narrow minded to suggest that the city would be better off without the University, and the argument cannot be supported financially at all. I suspect that this has been argued over and over for centuries, and I believe that it simply boils down to jealousy. Strip out the University buildings and the economic contribution and Oxford probably would become a cultural desert. As I've said, the country is full of them. Show some humility and acknowledge the essential relationship that the University and town share.
DanOxford, Oxford says...
7:29pm Fri 25 Jan 08
Yes- you're quite right- I was wrong all along. People born and working in Oxford like myself should 'show humility', bow down and accept the ever increasing numbers of students, move further and further out and pay more tax to support them while they lead to a deterioration in the housing stock, keep local businesses from bankruptcy by buying bottles of wine and ready meals and generally get right up many resident's noses by thinking that reading 'The Dummmies Guide to Karl Marx' comes with an automatic right to act is if the city of Oxford was a gigantic junior common room.
Obviously we should all just know our place and doff our caps.
HalyBurton, Oxford says...
8:55pm Fri 25 Jan 08
Without the University, Oxford is little more than an old car factory. Who aspires to live in Dagenham? You may dislike students, there are plenty of dislikeable ones about, but they are not the source of Oxford's perceived woes. Back to the original article, and the point of your first post, it is the ineptitude of the locals that run the city council that is responsible for the rolling problems that the inhabitants 'endure'. And frankly, compared to other parts of the UK, Oxford (and its faults) is quite idyllic.
DanOxford, Oxford says...
9:52pm Fri 25 Jan 08
According to the Census, 26% of the working age population is a student - the highest proportion in England and Wales. Statistics show that in 2005/06 there were over 30,000 full-time students studying at Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University.
http://www.oxford.go
v
.uk/community/popnst
ats.cfm
'Growth in student numbers at Oxford University is likely to lead to increased housing pressures and cause further price rises for accommodation in the city, according to a report released by city planners yesterday.
As the numbers of students forced to live out is set to increase, the city's already limited housing stock looks like it will react with rent increases,
A University spokesperson explained that although undergraduate numbers could not be accurately predicted due to government controls on intake, "There are plans for definite growth in the numbers of graduates in the coming years," resulting in likely further pressure on city housing rather than college-based accommodation.
The increased pressure on the city's current housing stock, made worse by the limited scope for expansion within central Oxford is likely to further the current 9 percent annual growth in housing prices, and lead to increases in rent prices.
http://www.oxfordstu
dent.com/ht2002wk1/N
ews/oxford's_housing
_crisis
Your comments about chavs coupled with your obvious disdain for residential areas (Blackbird Leys) or cities that do not have a population consisting of a quarter of the working age population being students (Dagenham, Reading ) betrays a rather ignorant and over- inflated view of the real contribution of students to Oxford.
Geographically and economically, Oxford is well placed within easy reach of London, Birmingham, airports, the M4 corridor and south coast ports. It is surrounded by good farm and building land. Your comment about oxford being '...little more than an old car factory' without the University is nonsense. Aside from teh fact that the BMW plant is a hugely succesful international employer, to imply that it is the only employer aside from the University is fatuous.
SOME students may add the diversity and interest that you seem to think are so worthy of Oxford taxpayers being inconvenienced for, charged more for and having to live further out for; but as the reports above show, the sheer number and continual increase in students is causing definite and quantifiable problems for Oxford.
Exactly HOW does the average student benefit the average Oxford resident? I can think of very few benefits of having a student population of 30,000 out of approximately 134,000 residents, but many disadvantages.
As for showing my face to the CCTV you may recall that Cowley Road is now to get CCTV in response to (NuLabour) Oxford Students Union backed by (NuLabour) MP Andrew Smith calling for it for student safety (much of the drunkenness and dangerous behaviour being caused by students ) so now we all have to be monitored going about our normal everyday lives because the Cowley Road is now to be an area given over to students. When I grew up there, it was a very mixed area of families.
HalyBurton, Oxford says...
4:35pm Sat 26 Jan 08
Cowley doesnt need cctv, but maybe it will help drive the hard drug takers and other miscreants further from the city. The Cowley that I know is still a mixed housing area - one that local landlords find quite profitable!
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DanOxford, Oxford says...
7:54pm Thu 24 Jan 08
If you want to know why Oxfordshire Council tax bills are so high, ask why we have a population of 30,000 students (who do not pay Council tax) and a massive increase in economic immigrants (11,000 Poles alone) most of whom share several to a house and split one bill between them, thus not contributing a fair amount.
The Council tax 'shortfall' is quoted at £200,000- yesterday we were told that recent immigration has led to an increase in Oxfordshire Police spending £228,000 on translation- doesn't take a genius to work out where we could recoup some of the 'shortfall' which the Counncil seemed to have been relying on from overcharged local taxpayers.
This is rip off Britain under Greedy Gordon, fleecing the worker to pay for all their Mickey Mouse box ticking exercises while neglecting services we REALLY need.
Council tax is also a stealth tax with central government reducing their funding year on year and expecting us to pay more and more.
The real villains here are NuLabour with their open door immigration policy, attempts to cover up the real lack of training and employment opportunities for British school leavers by raising the school leaving age to 18 and trying to force people into University who should not be there in the first place.
Next time ou here Gordon and his cronies tell you Britain can keep on importing more and more people, think about the increases in Council tax, cuts in services, filthy streets in East Oxford, road congestion in Headington, calls to paryer in Colwey and protests about Halal meat in Rose Hill- the problems are ALREADY biting and will get worse with the forthcoming recession.