Council tax is paid to your local district, borough or city council. Many allow you to pay your bill or view your account details online.
What you pay
The amount you pay will vary depending on where you live and the value of your home. Each home is placed on a valuation list in one of 8 valuation bands, from A to H. The list will show only the band to which your home has been allocated, not it's actual value.
Valuations are carried out by the listing officer at the Valuation Office Agency not your local council. The basis of valuation is the capital value of each dwelling arrived at by estimating the amount it could have been sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991. This valuation date is the same for all properties.
Council Tax is a tax much like income tax and VAT and not a charge for different services. Whether someone benefits from council services depends very much on the personal circumstances of those individuals concerned. Therefore, not everyone will benefit from all the services available.
Unadopted roads
There is no reduction in your council tax bill if you live on an unadopted road. However, this would have been taken into account when your property was valued and the valuation band adjusted accordingly.
Adult care precept
Councils with responsibility for providing adult care services were again given government permission to raise council tax by up to 2% in addition to the maximum 3% permitted for 2024 to 2025.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made an offer to adult social care authorities. 'Adult social care authorities' are local authorities, which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014 and include county councils in England.
The offer is the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional 'precept' on its council tax for financial years from the financial year beginning in 2016 without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting expenditure on adult social care. Subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons, the Secretary of State intends to offer the option of charging this precept at an appropriate level each financial year up to and including the financial year 2024 to 2025.
Our agreed 4.99% increase in council tax in 2024 to 2025 means an increase of £57.6 a year - or £1.10 a week - for a band B property. Most homes in Derbyshire are band A or B. There is a 2% increase to support the delivery of adult social care duties and responsibilities - and a 2.99% increase in council tax to support general spending.
Table showing council tax bands including the amount attributable to adult social care precept
| Valuation band | Council Tax | Amount attributable to adult social care precept 2016 to 2024 | Amount attributable to adult social care precept 2024 to 2025 | Total amount attributable to adult social care precept | Total amount not attributable to adult social care precept |
|---|
| A |
£1034.49 |
£111.30 |
£19.71 |
£131.01 |
£903.48 |
| B |
£1,206.90 |
£129.87 |
£22.99 |
£152.86 |
£1,054.04 |
| C |
£1,379.32 |
£148.41 |
£26.28 |
£174.69 |
£1,204.63 |
| D |
£1,551.73 |
£166.97 |
£29.56 |
£196.53 |
£1,355.20 |
| E |
£1,896.56 |
£204.07 |
£36.13 |
£240.20 |
£1,656.36 |
| F |
£2,241.39 |
£241.19 |
£42.70 |
£283.89 |
£1,957.50 |
| G |
£2,586.22 |
£278.27 |
£49.27 |
£327.54 |
£2,258.68 |
| H |
£3,103.46 |
£333.94 |
£59.12 |
£393.06 |
£2,710.40 |
In Derbyshire the extra 2% for adult care in 2024 to 2025 will raise £7.8 million a year.
The adult social care precept is ring-fenced to adult social care services. The additional funding raised through Council Tax can only be used to support these services. It is used to help fund the full range of social care related services, including:
- expanding services to support the timely discharge of clients from hospital with either a residential or home-based care package
- provide an urgent, short-term service to prevent admissions into hospital
- voluntary and community groups that provide the most benefit in helping older and vulnerable people to live safely and well in their own homes without relying on social care services
- protecting our home care service which provides support to people at home so they can stay living independently for as long as possible
- services that support people with dementia and their carers
- more use of assistive technology and specialist equipment
- support services for younger adults with mental health issues and learning disabilities to help them live independently, prepare for independent living or a move to supported accommodation and help them learn new skills including support into employment where appropriate
Fire and police elements of council tax
We're not responsible for the police authority or fire service and have no influence on their priorities. If your query relates to the fire or police element of your council tax bill, you should contact the relevant authority:
Council tax leaflet
We produce a council tax leaflet every year in March which explains how we spend the money we get, where this money comes from and how much comes from council tax.
The current council tax leaflet is attached to this page.
In previous years a printed version of this leaflet has been sent out with your council tax bill by district and borough councils. This year (2024 to 2025) the leaflet is available online only and has also been sent to your relevant district or borough council to display with their billing information online.