south cambridgeshire council tax 2015/16

Your ServicesYour Council Tax

How the County Council, District Council, Fire and Police Authorities spend your money - a guide

for residents and Business Rate payers

2015/16

2

Introduction

South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the Cambridgeshire &Peterborough Fire Authority do not warrant the accuracy of any description or statement contained in any advertisement herein nor do they

endorse any product or service advertised. Printed on genuine 100% recycled, 100% de-inked paper using vegetable based inks.

Cllr Ray ManningLeader of South Cambridgeshire

District Council

The Council Tax you pay goes towards thecost of providing a wide range of servicesby Cambridgeshire County Council, South

Cambridgeshire District Council, Fire and Policeservices.

To most people the face of local government isthe face they see at a local level - the librarian,the home help, the refuse collector, the firefighters, police officers and teachers, to namebut a few.

The Councils provide services and support forschools, care for the elderly, maintain the roads,parks and open spaces, recycle rubbish, care forthe environment, offer leisure facilities andprovide affordable housing as well asadministering Housing Benefit and support forCouncil Tax.

At a time of continuing significant financialconstraints and change, we have all workedtogether to produce this booklet, giving you allthe information you need about your CouncilTax for the coming financial year. We hope itwill make understanding your bill much easier.

Sir Graham BrightCambridgeshire Police & Crime

Commissioner

The cost to produce the booklet is subsidised via local advertising.

Sir Peter BrownChairman of Cambridgeshire

and Peterborough FireAuthority

Con

tent

s

3

7

17

20

25

31

34

35

47

Council Tax and services

South Cambridgeshire District Council

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority

Cambridgeshire County Council

Council Tax explanatory notes

Help with your Council Tax and Rent

Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

Contact details

Steve CountLeader of Cambridgeshire

County Council

3

Your Council TaxHow Council Tax is calculated

Where your money goes

Note: if your parish council has set its owncouncil tax this is shown on pages 10 and 11.This is in addition to the figures below.

South Cambridgeshire District Council is registered asData Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998 forthe purpose of processing personal data in theperformance of its business activities and otherfunctions. Any information held by the Council will beprocessed in compliance with the principles set out in theAct.

The Council has a duty to provide a wide range ofservices to the public including the administration ofcouncil tax. Whilst the Council has a duty for ensuringthe confidentiality of personal data that it holds, it alsohas a duty to protect the public funds it administers. Thismay include sharing information for these purposes bothinternally and externally. For example, in administeringpublic funds or the appointment of collection agenciesresponsible for collecting local taxes on behalf of theCouncil or for data matching. It may also include sharinginformation for other legitimate purposes including theprevention and detection of crime.

Further information about the Data Protection Act isavailable on our website or can be sent to you uponrequest by contacting the Council's InformationManagement Team.

If you have concerns about the processing of personaldata by the Council, or you want to know more aboutyour rights, you can contact the InformationCommissioner's Office, at the following address:Information Commissioner's OfficeWycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AFTel: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45Fax: 01625 524510Or you can access their website at www.ico.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire Police South& Crime Commissioner Fire Authority County Council Cambridgeshire

£m £m £m £m

Gross spendingIncomeNet expenditureGovernment funding

Business RatesNon ring-fenced GrantsRing-fenced GrantsPolice Grant

Internal fundingUse of / addition to Reserves

Council Tax RequirementCouncil Tax at Band D

Total Band D Council Tax £1,515.18

131.6-2.1

129.5

- -6.5-0.9-73.3

-0.648.2

181.35

30.4-1.928.5

-3.5-7.9

--

-17.164.26

769.8-83.8686.0

-58.7-65.4-317.5

-

-244.4

1,144.26

22.99-5.9417.05

-3.46-1.83

--

-4.287.48

125.31

6 Cambridgeshire County Council • Fire

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority• Prevention - promoting fire safety across the county • Protection - minimising risk in businesses through education, engagement and enforcement

• Emergency Response - dealing with more than 10,000 emergencies a year

We spend over £4.5million onfundingchildcare places for 2-year-old

children fromdeprivedfamilies

The averagecost of

providing anadult aged

over 65 withsocial care thisyear will be

nearly £12,000

It costs over£660,000 aweek to

dispose ofhouseholdwaste in

Cambridgeshire

It costs around£26,000 to

complete a fullgritting run

Which services do we provide?Cambridgeshire County CouncilChildren, Families and Adults Services• Supporting over 25,000 young children aged 0-5 through our network of 40 children's centres• Working with more than 250 schools to ensure over 80,000 children get the high qualityeducation to which they are entitled

• Supporting more than 3,000 children with statements of special educational need and helping to support those who have some level of special educational needs

• Providing more than 1,000 disabled children and young people with short breaks, specialist holiday and access clubs, and funding 200 children to receive more than 50,000hours of individual support and 4,500 overnight stays

• Safeguarding children at risk of harm and supporting vulnerable families to improve their situation

• Looking after children in care, finding them adoptive parents and supporting around 500 children at any one time in foster and residential care

• Providing social care services to over 13,900 people, including caring for over 2,900 people after discharge from hospital, 1,600 people with learning disabilities, 700 with physical disabilities and over 500 people with sensory impairments

• Caring for over 7,800 older people in their own homes, using over 1.4 million hours of careEconomy, Transport and Environment Services• Maintaining 2,800 miles of roads, 2,400 miles of footways, 1,500 bridges and 55,000 street lights

• Investing £1.5 million every year in public transport services where local communities have developed the solution

• Providing for approximately 3.7 million single Park and Ride bus journeys and 3.2 millionjourneys on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

• Transporting around 15,000 children to school every day • Managing over 300,000 tonnes of waste, of which over 53% is recycled• Attracting external funding to help deliver cultural activities, including £50,000 for sports for disabled; £73,000 for Arts and Wellbeing

• Intervening in rogue trader cases involving over 180 victims and in excess of £500,000• Gritting around 1,300 miles of roads and footpaths in winter weather• Helping 20,000 people benefit from adult learning• Delivering over 60 local highway improvements working with local communities• Welcoming 2.5 million visitors each year to our libraries• Registering 15,000 births, marriages, civil partnerships and deathsCorporate Services• Handling 450,000 enquiries plus 84,000 non phone contacts• Receiving 2,460,000 unique web site visitors• Managing 900 Freedom of Information Requests and 100 Subject Access RequestsPublic Health• Commissioning Health Checks for about 18,000 people aged 40-74• Helping nearly 3,000 people to quit smoking through CAMQUIT• Commissioning 30,000 appointments with sexual health and contraception services• Providing public health advice to the local NHS and the Health & Wellbeing Board• Working with Public Health England to prevent the spread of infectious diseases• Commission over 9000 one-to-one and 5000 group contacts with school nurses to support children’s health and wellbeing

7South Cambridgeshire District Council • Cambridgeshire Police

Environmental services• Collecting waste and recycling fromapproximately 63,000 homes

• Cleaning streets, dealing with abandonedcars and clearing and investigating flytipping

• Making sure food premises are clean andsafe and making this information available to you

• Advising on and enforcing health andsafety at work

• Dealing with pollution• Licensing taxis, public entertainment andthe sale of alcohol

Housing services• Increasing the supply of affordable homesthrough our own building programme andby working with housing associations

• Managing more than 5,300 Council homes• Providing housing advice and support forhomeless people

Planning services• Considering planning applications, dealingwith development without planningpermission and building control

• Conserving our environment and buildings• Developing planning policy to shape thefuture of the district

New communities• Developing the local economy andsupporting businesses

• Planning for major developments• Promoting local tourism• Supporting sports development andpromoting healthy living

• Working towards a sustainable SouthCambridgeshire

Working with communities, partnersand customers• Promoting community safety• Providing community and voluntary sectorgrants

• Making sure all our customers can accessservices equally, in the best way for them

• Administering local democracy includingelections

Corporate services• Increasing customer access and developingsmarter ways of working throughtechnology and partnerships

• Providing support for those who need helpwith housing and council tax

• Collecting council tax and business rates• Providing support services such asaccountancy and legal

South Cambridgeshire District CouncilWe provide a wealth of services to over 154,000 residents and thousands of businesses acrossmore than 100 villages, including:

Providing all of these services costs an average tax payer £2.41 a week.

For more information please visit www.scambs.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire Police• Tackling crime and disorder• Supporting the victims of crime • Answering around 8,500 999 calls and 30,000 101 calls a month• Tackling anti-social behaviour in partnership with other agencies• Keeping people safe

The CambridgeshirePolice service is one

of the lowestcosting forces

in the UK

8 South Cambridgeshire District Council

The total amount to spend on services in 2015-16 is £22.99 million.

Further information on the estimated expenditure for 2015/16 is available on the Council's website:www.scambs.gov.uk/content/statement-accounts-and-annual-governance-statement

Where the money comes from

South Cambridgeshire District Council charges one of the lowest council taxes in the country toprovide a range of services to residents and businesses. However, council tax is only oneelement of the funding we receive.

The table below shows how our budget for next year is made up of money from differentsources, and how it compares to last year. The business rates figures are shown after deductingamounts we have to pay over to central government, the county council and the fire authority– we only keep around 5% of the business rates we collect.

As shown in the table, the grant we receive from central government has been cut again nextyear. This follows a number of reductions over recent years.

£7.48m

£7.16m

£3.46m

£2.87m

£0.59m

£0.35m

£1.83m

£2.66m

£0.47m

£0.45m

£9.16m £9.71m

9South Cambridgeshire District Council

Where your money goes

The table below shows how we plan to use the money we have available to provide services toyou. It compares spending in major service areas this financial year to what we spent last year.The Council Tax and Housing Benefit figures are shown after deducting amounts we receivefrom central government to pass on to those receiving support.

More information about some of the activities we carry out in each service can be found onpage 7.

The total amount that we plan to spend on services in 2015-16 is £22.99 million.

More detailed information on the estimated expenditure for 2015/16 is available on our website:www.scambs.gov.uk/content/statement-accounts-and-annual-governance-statement

£8.66m

£8.68m

£3.72m

£3.83m

£2.52m

£2.53m

£4.18m

£4.04m

£1.78m

£1.83m

£2.13m

£2.29m


Great Abington 33.60 Little Abington 62.59 Abington Pigotts - Arrington 71.06 Babraham 85.82 Balsham 65.92 Bar Hill 65.85 Barrington 73.13 Bartlow - Barton 47.29 Bassingbourn 52.61 Bourn 76.90 Boxworth 24.22 Caldecote 99.99 Cambourne 120.75 Carlton 30.80 Castle Camps 37.79 Caxton 65.45 Childerley - Chishill 72.86 Comberton 64.38 Conington - Coton 65.54 Cottenham 88.30 Croxton 60.40 Croydon 21.91 Dry Drayton 33.21 Duxford 58.55 Elsworth 67.82 Eltisley 61.30 Great & Little Eversden 71.59 Fen Ditton 63.70 Fen Drayton 52.93 Fowlmere 63.88

Village Parish Council Tax

Your Council Tax by parish

The table below shows the amount each parish council in South Cambridgeshire has agreedto charge for their proportion of council tax.

Your total bill is made up of the following:Cambridgeshire County Council - £1,144.26South Cambridgeshire District Council - £125.31Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner - £181.35Cambridgeshire Fire Authority - £64.26+The amount your parish council is charging is shown below

All of the figures shown above and in the table are for an average band D property.

All other bands from A- to H can be worked out as a proportion of the band D charge. Forband A- multiply by 5/9, A 6/9, B 7/9, C 8/9, E 11/9, F 13/9, G 15/9 and H 18/9.

Foxton 52.59 Fulbourn 63.05 Gamlingay 123.44 Girton 59.92 Little Gransden 37.65 Grantchester 85.01 Graveley 57.61 Hardwick 55.06 Harlton 58.26 Harston 42.42 Haslingfield 91.01 Hatley 35.47 Hauxton 61.36 Heydon 35.40 Hildersham 116.28 Hinxton 63.73 Histon 91.18 Horningsea 85.52 Horseheath 48.48 Ickleton 70.19 Impington 91.18 Kingston 73.80 Knapwell 38.11 Landbeach 54.54 Linton 92.67 Litlington 61.29 Lolworth 29.49 Longstanton 101.94 Longstowe 44.89 Madingley 65.36 Melbourn 103.69 Meldreth 74.32 Milton 73.63 Guilden Morden 75.97



Steeple Morden 54.74 Newton 30.14 Oakington/Westwick 59.09 Orchard Park 88.00 Orwell 77.83 Over 32.51 Pampisford 66.21 Papworth Everard 88.00 Papworth St Agnes - Rampton 70.19 Sawston 119.51 Great Shelford 64.70 Little Shelford 73.85 Shepreth 58.02 Shingay-cum-Wendy 26.46 Shudy Camps 41.67 Stapleford 69.84


Sign up for business support news and information

We have a business register to help provide better information and support to local firmsin South Cambridgeshire.

If you have not already signed up, do so now! You will gain access to a range of servicesfrom the Council’s Business Support Team, including subscription to Open For Business -an e-newsletter sent out every other month.

Joining our business register will ensure you will be the first to know about financing andfunding opportunities, contracts and tenders, updates on infrastructure or newdevelopments, business workshops, awards competitions and local business news. It alsogives you the opportunity to tell us how we are doing in helping your business to thriveand grow, and the chance to help shape our future services.

To join our business register visit www.scambs.gov.uk, click the apply for it button andclick on the ‘sign up for business support’ link.

You can find more information on our website about parish councils who have set abudget above £140,000. Please visit www.scambs.gov.uk/your-council-tax

Have your say - consultation panel

Your opinion matters to South Cambridgeshire District Council so we have set up aconsultation panel. This group is a sounding board for us when we ask residents andbusinesses what they think throughout the year.

For further information, and to sign up, visit www.scambs.gov.uk/consultationpanel orcontact Richard May on [email protected] or 01954 713366.

Stow-cum-Quy 47.31 Swavesey 59.39 Tadlow 32.91 Teversham 69.93 Thriplow 32.29 Toft 73.53 Waterbeach 86.74 Weston Colville 41.52 West Wickham 57.87 West Wratting 47.78 Whaddon 81.50 Whittlesford 47.81 Great Wilbraham 79.28 Little Wilbraham 49.45 Willingham 77.55 Wimpole 28.99



We will to continue to provide high qualityservices while meeting the ongoing pressuresof continued cuts to our funding fromgovernment by finding new and innovativeways of working.

Like many councils, this year we are onceagain faced with a further 30% cut in ourgrant funding. Over the last four years wehave already taken £5.5 million out of ourbudget by delivering efficiency savings, butwith the most obvious changes carried outalready, delivering further savings isbecoming even tougher.

When setting our budget this year, we alsolooked at our medium term financial strategy.

This is a five year plan showing how servicesare proposed to be funded in the future. Forthe first time, this five year plan shows theyear 2020 when all the indications are thatongoing national cuts to funding will meanwe will no longer receive any governmentgrant funding. Faced with this, we must findnew ways of working now and generate ourown income to support the services you wantand need.

Invest to maintain quality services

One of the main ways we are looking togenerate our own income is through ErmineStreet Housing, which we set up two yearsago.

So far, we have invested £4.5million purchasing 25 homesthat are being rented out atmarket rates. In the autumnwe will take stock to makesure it is generating a goodreturn. If, as expected, thecompany is making a goodprofit we will look to investfurther to generate moremoney to support othercouncil services. By 2020 weare aiming for the moneyfrom our investment to fillthe gap left by the reductionsin funding we are expectingover the next five years.

An introduction from Cllr Ray Manning, Leader of SouthCambridgeshire District Council

Generating money will help maintain high quality services


Bold and ambitious plans

Although we feel we are ahead of the game,we know it is still going to be a toughchallenge to maintain high quality services.

Alongside our innovative housing companywe are continuing our biggest councilhousing building programme since the 1950’s.We know many people cannot afford to geton the housing ladder and over the next 30years millions of pounds will be invested andup to 1,000 new council and social rentedhomes will be built.

The first batch of new homes have alreadybeen built in Linton and plans agreed for thenext phase in Foxton. We will continue towork with parish councils to meet local needs.

Supporting existing businesses and makingsure South Cambridgeshire is an attractiveplace to set up is also key for us. We’vealready supported well over 100 businesses byrunning free workshops to arm them withpractical knowledge and skills to get startedand grow and this programme is continuing.

We know broadband speeds are a frustrationfor both residents in their own homes andbusinesses. Our support for the CountyCouncil’s Connecting Cambridgeshire projecthas already given thousands of homes access

to high speed broadband with more to followas the programme continues over the comingmonths.

New communities

Creating communities where people want towork, live and go to school is at the heart ofgood planning. New homes in locations suchas the planned town of Northstowe will meanfuture generations have a better chance ofliving near to where they grew up.

New to the area - find out more

If you are new to the area you can find outlots more about our services by visitingwww.scambs.gov.uk. Our website provides arange of information from what can berecycled in the blue and green bins collectedfrom your home, to how to submit a planningapplication. The website also has lots of self-service forms under the report it, apply for itand pay for it buttons allowing you to do itonline at a click of a button.

And don’t forget, if you move make sure youupdate your details with our elections teamso you continue to have your say at the ballotbox.

For more information about our corporateplan please visit www.scambs.gov.uk/council-aims-and-objectives

Our website provides lots of self-service forms as well as information about services suchas waste and recycling


Council Tax Payments

Your monthly payment amounts and the date due are shown on your council tax bill. Thepayment methods available are shown on the back of your bill. Payments need to reachthe Council by the 8th of each month.

Direct Debit is the easiest and most convenient way to pay your council tax, plus there isalso an option for Direct Debit customers only to pay on 23rd of the month. A direct debitform can be found at www.scambs.gov.uk/content/ways-pay-your-council-tax

Recovery Action

In the case of late or non payment, recovery action will be taken. For details of the recoveryprocess please go to www.scambs.gov.uk/content/recovery-actions

If you are having difficulty in paying your bill please contact us as soon as possible foradvice. We try to work with people so that payments can be made but we will takeappropriate action if needed

Local Council Tax Support

This is available for low income households. The maximum benefit entitlement for workingage people is 91.5%, which means they would have to pay a minimum of 8.5% of thecouncil tax charge. National and local schemes protect certain groups from making acontribution. Please visit the benefits page on our website for more information atwww.scambs.gov.uk/content/claiming-benefits-information-and-application-forms

Local Council Tax Discount Scheme

Under the scheme set by South Cambridgeshire District Council, there is no longer anydiscount given for empty properties or second homes. For those properties which havebeen empty for more than two years, an extra 50% charge applies.

Any Queries?

If you have any queries about your council tax bill please contact us straight away. Detailsof how to get in touch are shown on the back of your bill and on page 47 of this booklet.

17Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner

As Police and Crime Commissioner I amresponsible for ensuring that the policeforce in Cambridgeshire is efficient andeffective. My overarching objective, andthat of the Constabulary, is to keep peoplesafe.

I do not run the police force. That is the jobof Chief Constable, Simon Parr. I hold himto account on behalf of the public fordelivery of the Police and Crime Plan withinthe budget I have set.

I was pleased at the positive report theConstabulary received following aninspection in 2014 by Her Majesty’sInspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Theinspection team reported:

“Cambridgeshire Constabulary is good atreducing crime and preventing offending;good at investigating crime and good attackling anti-social behaviour. Theefficiency with which the force carries outits responsibilities is good. Through strong

focus on the most vulnerable andindividuals with a propensity to cause mostharm in society, the force is makingCambridgeshire a safer place”.

Cambridgeshire remains one of the lowestcost forces in the country with 74% ofofficers on front line services.

Our priorities are set out in the Police andCrime Plan. Our commitment includes:

• Maintaining local police performance • Delivering policing within the available budget

• Tackling crime and disorder • Keeping people safe• Maintain the resilience of protective services

The full Police and Crime Plan can be foundon the Office of the Police and CrimeCommissioner’s website.www.cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk

The Chief Constable and I remaincommitted to providing an effective andefficient police service that will continue toprotect those living in, working in orvisiting Cambridgeshire

Sir Graham Bright

18 Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner

Keeping people safe

The last year saw a number of newinitiatives to help make Cambridgeshire asafer place:

• Launch of the Victims’ Hub to support allvictims of crime, providing specialist support services when required

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat Declaration set out how agencies that deal with people with mental health problems will work together to safeguard those in need

• Launch of the counties first Volunteer Police Cadets group with more to follow

• The Police and Crime Commissioner issued over £2 million of grants to prevent crime and safeguard the public

• There has been a strong focus on supporting the most vulnerable members of society

Looking to the future

There are a number of major programmesof work that will continue in the yearahead including:

• Collaborating with other police forces, particularly Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary to share resources and improve efficiency

• Continuing to work closely with other local agencies in order to ensure there isa joined-up approach to preventing andreducing crime

• Equipping officers with new communication technology, reducing the amount of paperwork and allowingofficers to spend more time in their localcommunities

• Supporting the victims of crime throughthe Victims’ Hub and other victim afocussed initiatives

Where the money comes from

Council tax 48.2 36.6Council tax freeze grant 6.5 4.9Police grant 73.3 55.7Other grants 0.9 0.7Other income 2.1 1.6Reserves 0.6 0.5Total 131.6 100

What the money is spent on

Employees 76.8 58.4Police officer pensions 12.1 9.2Premises 4.1 3.1Transport 1.5 1.1Supplies and services 11.5 8.7Collaborated Units 21.7 16.5PCC Grants 2.2 1.7Capital financing 1.7 1.3Total 131.6 100

£m

£m

%

%

The budget

The 2015/16 budget will see a 5.1 percentreduction in policing grant on the previousyear - £4 million less in terms of money.However, through careful planning over anumber of years it has been possible tobalance next year’s budget and stillmaintain current officer numbers. Totalofficer numbers in 2015/16 will be 1,343.

Not only that but we are also able to freezethe policing element of the council tax for2015/16 thereby meeting our commitmentnot to add unnecessary additional financialburden on the public. It also allows us toclaim the 1 percent Council Tax freezegrant from central government.

Looking further ahead we face similarbudget reductions over the next few yearswith an estimated additional £17 million ofsavings to be found by 2018/19.

Capital programme

The Commissioner has a capital programme(premises and other assets) for 2015/16 of£2.6m which includes historical and newcommitments such as:

• Programme Metis, ICT and communications projects to replace current systems with updated and integrated ones

• Major repairs to buildings

• Replacement of vehicles

• Collaborated Unit projects

ContactsIf you need to contact the Office ofthe Police and Crime Commissioner,please write to:

The Chief Executive Office of the Cambridgeshire Policeand Crime CommissionerPO BOX 688HuntingdonPE29 9LA

Telephone: 0300 333 3456

Email: [email protected]

19Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner

Workforce

Despite the significant funding reduction,police officer numbers have beenmaintained. The total number of policeofficers budgeted for will be 1,343 in2015/16 with 990 of these being localpolicing officer posts. A total of 816 police staff and 150 PCSOs have beenincluded in the budget. We also have 300 Special Constables. Throughcollaborating with Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary,Cambridgeshire Constabulary also haveaccess to additional officers if needed.

Reserves

General reserves are held in the event ofthe occurrence of any unforeseen highimpact policing operations. TheCommissioner will have estimated generalreserves of £9.2m (7 per cent of netbudget) at the end of 2014/15. TheCommissioner also maintains earmarkedreserves for capital financing, potentialrisks, new initiatives and to deal withinsurance claims. These are expected to be£19.7m at the end of 2014/15.

20 Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough FireAuthority is responsible for providing anefficient and effective fire and rescue service.This is achieved by responding to 999emergencies along with balancing resourcesacross fire safety in the home and at work.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Servicecontinues to be one of the lowest financingfire and rescue services in the country, yetcontinually strives to improve the service itprovides to the public.

Background

The Fire Authority has continued to facesignificant financial challenges for the pastfew years. The grant funding received fromthe Government was reduced by 29.5 per cent

over the last four financial years. Thereduction for the coming year is 8.8 per cent.

What does it mean?

The budget has been prepared for the nextfour to five years after making a number ofassumptions, which are:

• A freeze in council tax for 2015/16 following a pay award of 1.2 per cent, thena 1 per cent increase in 2016/17 onwards;

• Non pay inflation has been budgeted at 1.5per cent each year.

In summary, the Authority will receiverevenue support and business ratecontributions of £11.4 million.

21Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority

Preventing Protecting Responding

ContactsIf you need more information about theFire Authority, please contact:

Director of ResourcesCambridgeshire Fire & Rescue ServiceFire HeadquartersHinchingbrooke CottageBrampton RoadHuntingdonPE29 2NAPhone: 01480 444619Email: [email protected]

www.cambsfire.gov.uk

Other2014/15 Inflation Variations 2015/16

£m £m £m £m

Employees 21.774 0.227 -0.500 21.501Premises 1.226 0.018 -0.001 1.243Supplies and Services 5.624 0.021 -0.316 5.329Transport 0.520 -0.007 0.001 0.514Agency Costs 0.137 0.004 - 0.141Capital Financing 1.970 0.008 -0.215 1.763Gross Expenditure 31.251 0.271 -1.031 30.491Income -1.917 -0.008 -0.032 -1.957Net Expenditure 29.334 0.263 -1.063 28.534

Financed by:Business Rates 3.437 - 0.066 3.503Non-ringfenced Government Grant 9.175 - -1.230 7.945Council Tax Requirement 16.722 0.239 0.125 17.086Total 29.334 0.239 -1.039 28.534

This is a reduction of £1.1 million from thegrant received in 2014/15, equivalent to 8.8per cent.

Budget

The Fire Authority has approved a budget of£28.5 million for 2015/16. This is equivalent toa Band D council tax contribution of £64.26,which equates to £1.24 a week – a freeze inline with last year’s rate.

The Fire Authority will have estimated generalreserves of £2.1 million at the end of 2014/15.This is to fund excessive operational costs thatmight arise.

For more information about your fire servicevisit www.cambsfire.gov.uk.

25Cambridgeshire County Council

Introduction from theLeader - Councillor Steve Count

Cambridgeshire County Council, like allauthorities across the country, is facingtough financial challenges in the face ofgrowing demand and less money.

Our Business Plan sets out how we intendto do the best for the people ofCambridgeshire in the face of theseincreasingly challenging conditions.

We have an ambitious and innovative planshowing how the Council will always putCambridgeshire first, protecting frontlineservices while making the ever growingsavings we need to make.

Over the course of this Business Plan (2015-20) we will be required to find a further£119m of savings. We have hard andunpalatable choices to make, includingcutting services and increasing Council Tax

by 1.99 per cent to meet these savings. Wemust deal with this challenge head on andhave honest conversations with ourresidents and partners about how we canrespond and we can work withcommunities to achieve the best forCambridgeshire.

This year, the Business Plan has beenproduced through the collaboration of allpolitical groups that make up the Councilunder the new committee system. Thewhole Council is united behind the need toexplore new relationships with ourpartners and our communities to findsolutions to the challenges we face, join uplocal public services in ways that makesense, and ultimately provide the bestpossible value to local taxpayers.

To do this we need to be clear about whatit is we want to achieve. The vision forCambridgeshire County Council remains;making Cambridgeshire a great place tocall home.

Our three strategic priorities also remain:• Developing the local economy for the benefit of all.

• Helping people live healthy and independent lives.

• Supporting and protecting vulnerable people.

This year the Council also emphasised itscommitment to tackling deprivation andnarrowing the inequalities gap. Therefore,this features as a cross-cutting prioritywithin this Business Plan, with activitiesranging from targeted health work forcommunities that experience the mostdeprivation, through to targeted work toprevent scams in areas that are the mostvulnerable.

Vision and Priorities

26 Cambridgeshire County Council

Over recent years we have tried to protectfrontline services, but inevitably we havehad to change the way we do things andreduce some of what we do. In the lastthree years alone we have saved over£100m.

Despite the way in which we have beenable to stimulate and support localeconomic growth, and despite theimproving national economy, theforeseeable future is going to continue tobe tough for the Council. For instance thisyear we received 8.3 per cent less fundingfrom Government, excluding funding fornew responsibilities. Additional financialpressures come with being the fastestgrowing county in the country, also there isthe impact of inflation. This reduction infinance, combined with inflation anddemography pressures means arequirement to save a further £30millionthis financial year 2015-16. Forecasts sayCambridgeshire’s population will increaseby a further 24% between 2011 and 2031to reach 768,900. At the same time thenumber of people aged over 65 is expectedto increase by 72,000; from 100,100 in 2011to 172,000.

The increase in over 65s and particularly inthe number of people aged over 85 will

place an unprecedenteddemand on social careservices for the elderly. Inaddition, improvements inhealthcare are increasingthe life expectancy forpeople with disabilities,meaning we need to plan tosupport more people inPhysical and LearningDisability Services for longer.Our growing populationalso means increaseddemand for a range ofother services includingeducation, children’s socialcare, waste and recycling,transport and public health

services. For the financial year 2015-16 theCounty Council has identified thatincreased demand for services will add anadditional £9.6 million to spending.

This means we have focussed our efforts onkeeping communities healthy and resilient,therefore helping them to help themselvesand minimising the amount that peoplerely on intensive and expensive services. Weare focussing our very limited services onwhere they can do most good with a keeneye on where we can take preventativemeasures.

In order to mitigate the impact ofincreasing demand the County Council istransforming what it does. An example ofthis is how investment in ‘reablement’services for older people has allowed us to


Do you want to know more?The County Council’s Business Plan is available onlineat www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk

telephone: 01223 715333e-mail: [email protected]

links in Fenland which could include a newrail link for Wisbech and closing the King’sDyke level crossing at Whittlesey as well aslobbying Government to improve the A14,A428 and A47.

After a long and determined campaign wehave this year been able to introduce fairerfunding for our schoolchildren.Cambridgeshire had the lowest pupilfunding in England. But this year saw thewelcome announcement that the countywill receive an extra £311 for every pupil.However, even with this improvement webelieve this still leaves us at a distinctdisadvantage when compared to the restof the Country. We will therefore continueto argue loud and clear for fairer fundingfor Cambridgeshire in the long term.

Whatever the funding future is forCambridgeshire and the difficulties we facethe Council remains as committed as everto doing what is best for our communities.

help older people to retain or regain theirindependence and reduce their reliance onCouncil services. This new way of workinghas helped us to counteract some of thepressure on budgets which goes hand inhand with an increasing number of olderpeople in the county.

At the same time we have been investing ininfrastructure that will help boost theeconomy and create jobs for localcommunities. This includes the £500 millionGreater Cambridge City Deal, a new bypassfor Ely, progressing improving transport

28 Cambridgeshire County Council

Only 32% of the money whichwe spend on providing ourservices comes from CouncilTax. This amounts to £246m ofthe total Council Tax collectedby your billing authority in thefollowing proportions:

Cambridge £45mEast Cambs £33mFenland £32mHunts £67mSouth Cambs £69m

This equates to £380 per headof population.

Revenue spending on services

Blue toned segments are money from Central Government.Red toned segments represent money raised within Cambridgeshire.

Which services do we provide, for how much,and how does that compare to last year?

Where the county’s money comes from

£ m

illio

n

Gross Budget 2015-16(Total: 769.8m)

Gross Budget 2014-15(Total: 752.7m)

214.8

101.7

35.522.4

34.5

17.05.5 10.9

26.2

41.7

259.6

Fees & Charges £82.5

Council Tax £245.7

Business Rates £58.7

Better Care Funding £15.5

Revenue Support Grant £53.7

Specific Grants £68.6

Dedicated Schools Grant£245.1

Despite taking on nearly £10m newfunctions, gross non-schoolexpenditure in the coming year willonly be 2.0% higher than last yeardue mainly to cuts in CentralGovernment funding.

Balanced against this, the Councilfaces significant cost increases,including £9.7m due to inflation and£9.6m arising from additionalgrowth in population and demand.

Therefore, in order to fund thesecuts and increases in demand, it willbe necessary to find £29.8m ofsavings during 2015-16.


What investments are we making for the future?

Comparison with other neighbouring county councils 2014/15 Band D Council Tax

Overall the Council Tax rise for the County Council element is 1.99%: 43p per week atBand D. The County Council element for all bandings will be as follows:

A B C D E F G H

£762.84 £889.98 £1,017.12 £1,144.26 £1,398.54 £1,652.82 £1,907.10 £2,288.52

The capital programme will see the followinginvestments in new or updated infrastructure over the next 5 years:

2015-2016 Total £218.7m

2016-2017 Total £161.9m

2017-2018 Total £122.5m

2018-2019 Total £96.7m

2019-2020 Total £77.0m

£

The capital programme will be funded by a mixture of capital grants, contributions fromdevelopers, planned asset sales and borrowing to make up the deficit.

1,145.07 1,126.53 1,121.94 1,118.83 1,114.81 1,086.75 1,065.69

£ million

31Council Tax explanatory notes

• Where you start or stop using part of your home to carry out a business, or the balance between domestic and business use changes.

• Where the Valuation Officer has altered the banding without a proposal having been made by a taxpayer.

• Where you become the taxpayer in respect of a property for the first time. (Your appeal must be made within six months, butif a Valuation Tribunal has already made a decision on the same appeal, it cannot be made again).

A material increase in value may result frombuilding, engineering or other work carried outon the property. In these cases, revaluationdoes not take place until after a sale or when anational revaluation exercise takes place - sothe person appealing would usually be the newowner or resident.

A material reduction in value may result fromthe demolition of any part of the property, achange in the physical state of the local area oradaptation to make the property suitable foruse by someone with a physical disability. Inthese cases, revaluation should take place assoon as possible.

Appeals about banding should be sent directlyto the Valuation Office Agency who can becontacted at Listing Officer, Council Tax East,Valuation Office Agency, Ground Floor, FerrersHouse, Castle Meadow Road, Nottingham, NG21AB. Telephone: 03000 501501 or e-mail:[email protected]

You may also appeal if you disagree with someaspect of a council tax bill because you do notthink you are liable for the council tax for thatdwelling, or you think an exemption or adiscount should be applied. You must firstappeal to your local authority and providedetailed reasons for your appeal to allow thematter to be reconsidered. There is a furtherright of appeal to the Valuation Tribunalagainst the council's decision, and moreinformation can be found atwww.valuationtribunal.gov.uk

The Council Tax helps to pay for local serviceslike policing and rubbish collection. It applies toall domestic properties, including houses,bungalows, flats, maisonettes, mobile homesand houseboats, whether owned or rented,where it is occupied by someone as their sole ormain residence.

There is one bill per property whether it isowned or rented. The people who live in theproperty will normally have to pay the CouncilTax.

Council Tax Valuation Bands

Properties have been allocated to one of eightbands according to their open market capitalvalue at 1 April 1991. Your Council Tax bill tellsyou which band applies to your property. Youwill find more details about the valuationbands on our website or by contacting us.

Appeals

The grounds for appeal about banding arerestricted to the following cases.

• Where you believe that the banding should be changed because there has been a material increase or material reduction (this is explained below) in the value of the property.

Council Taxexplanatory notes

Valuation Range of Values Proportion Band £ of Band D

Tax Payable

A Up to and inc. £40,000 6/9B £40,001 to £52,000 7/9C £52,001 to £68,000 8/9D £68,001 to £88,000 1E £88,001 to £120,000 11/9F £120,001 to £160,000 13/9G £160,001 to £320,000 15/9H More than £320,000 2

32 Council Tax explanatory notes

Making an appeal does not allow you towithhold payment of tax owing in themeantime. If your appeal is successful you willbe entitled to a refund of any tax you haveoverpaid.

Discounts

The full Council Tax bill assumes that there aretwo adults living in a property. If only one adultlives in a property (as their main home) theCouncil Tax payer can apply to have the billreduced by 25%.

The following people will not be counted whenlooking at the number of adults living in aproperty, if they meet certain conditions. Thismeans that the council taxpayer may qualify fora discount even if there is more than one adultliving in the property.

• Full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and Youth Training trainees.

• 18 and 19 year-olds who are at, or who have just left, school and for whom Child Benefit is still payable.

• Members of visiting forces and certain international institutions.

• People caring for someone with a disability who is not their spouse, partner or child under 18.

• People who are being looked after in care homes.

• Patients permanently resident in hospital.• People who are severely mentally

impaired.• Careworkers working for low pay, usually

for charities.• People staying in certain hostels or night

shelters.• Members of religious communities

(monks and nuns).• People in prison (except those in prison

for non-payment of Council Tax or a fine).

Discounts for Annexes

From 1st April 2014 annexes that are notexempt from council tax, that forms part of amain dwelling, being used by the person(s)liable to pay council tax for that dwelling (aspart of the main property or is the sole or main

residence of a relative of those person(s)), maybe eligible to a further 50% reduction incouncil tax liability on top of any existingdiscount.

If you think you may be entitled to a discount,you should contact your local council at theaddress shown in the Contacts section on page47.

If your bill shows that a discount has beenallowed, you must tell your local council of anychange of circumstances that affect yourentitlement; for example a second residentreaches the age of 18. If you fail to do so, youmay have to pay a penalty.

Discounts for Empty Properties

The council is responsible for setting the periodand amount of discount that is awarded onempty properties; information on the discountsthat you can receive is available on page 14.

People with Disabilities

If you, or someone who lives with you, need aspecial room, additional bathroom or kitchen,or extra space in your property to meet specialneeds arising from a disability, you may beentitled to a reduced Council Tax bill.

These reductions ensure that disabled peopledo not pay more tax on account of spaceneeded because of a disability. For furtherdetails please contact the Council at the addressshown in the contacts section on page 47.

If your home has any special fixtures that havebeen added for a disabled resident which mayaffect the overall value of the property and youdo not think they have been taken into accountin the valuation band, you should contact theValuation Officer at the address shown in theAppeals section on page 31.

Council Tax instalment scheme

Your bill will normally ask you to pay theCouncil Tax over ten monthly instalments.However, you now have the option to pay overtwelve months.

33Council Tax explanatory notes

An unoccupied property that is;B owned by a charity (exemption allowed for up to six months only)D left empty by someone who has gone to prisonE unoccupied dwelling previously occupied by a person now in permanent residential careF left empty where the liable person has died and the deceased’s executors or personal

representatives are now liable (up to 6 months after grant of Probate)G empty because occupation is forbidden by lawH waiting to be occupied by a minister of religionI left empty by someone who has moved to receive personal care by reason of old age,

disablement or illnessJ left empty by someone who has moved out to provide personal care to another personK owned by a student and was last occupied by a studentL where a mortgagee is in possessionQ the responsibility of a bankrupt’s trusteeR a site for an individual caravan or mobile home, or a mooringT difficult to let because it is linked to, or in the grounds of, another property and may

not be let separately from that other property without breaching planning permission. The liable person must, however, live in the other property to qualify.

An occupied property:M/N where all the residents are studentsP where at least one liable person is a member of a visiting forceS where all the residents are less than 18 years of ageU where all the residents are severely mentally impairedV where at least one liable person is a foreign diplomatW which is annexed to a family home and occupied by that family’s elderly or disabled relatives.

Class

Forces barracks and married quarters are also exempt (Class O). Their occupants will contribute tothe cost of local services through a special arrangement.

These categories are only broad descriptions of the available exemptions. If you believe anexemption should apply to your bill, please contact your local Council Tax Office for advice. Pleaseremember, while you are waiting for the outcome of an application, you must continue to pay yourcurrent bill. If this causes any problem, please contact us immediately. If your circumstances changeyou must tell your local council within 21 days of the change, otherwise you may have to pay apenalty.

Local Council Tax Support Schemes

Council tax support is a reduction to a council tax bill and can be awarded to people on lowincomes. Each local authority has been required to develop its own local scheme since April 2013.Further details of the local council tax support scheme can be found on page 34.

Exempt Properties

Some properties may be exempt from Council Tax. If you own or occupy a property that is describedbelow and your bill does not show that an exemption has been granted, please contact your localCouncil Tax Office for advice by using any of the methods shown in the Contacts section on page47 of this booklet. It is important that you check with your council whether a local scheme is inoperation.

If you would prefer to pay over twelve months rather the usual ten please contact your localCouncil at the address shown in the Contacts section on page 47.

34 Council Tax Support/Reduction and Housing Benefit

Council Tax Support/Reduction and HousingBenefits

Do you struggle to pay your rent or CouncilTax? If you are on a low income, your Councilmay be able to help with Housing Benefit orCouncil Tax Support/Reduction.

Even if you are working, you could still getbenefit. The amount of Housing Benefit orCouncil Tax Support/Reduction you get willdepend on:

• The amount of Council Tax or rent you pay• The needs of your family• Your and any partner’s income• Your and any partner’s savings • Other people who live with you

Any Council Tax Support/Reduction you areawarded will be used by the Council to reduceyour Council Tax bill.

If you are receiving Housing Benefit or CouncilTax Reduction/Support, it is important that

you tell us immediately if your circumstancesor those of people living with you change.

If you do not report changes, it can cause anoverpayment and we will look to recoveroverpayments because you did not tell us of achange.

Sometimes these changes may result inadditional entitlement, so it is important thatyou always let us know of changes straightaway and we can make sure your benefit iscorrect.

Details of how to let us know are on page 47and you may be able to tell us about somechanges via our website.

In order to keep the information we hold upto date, we will regularly review details ofyour claim with you and will also match thisinformation with other departments, agenciesand financial institutions such as banks andbuilding societies.

Council Tax Support and Housing Benefits

Your council is part of the Cambridgeshire Tenancy Fraud Forum, which has been established totackle tenancy fraud throughout the county.

Tenancy fraud may be where people are subletting their social housing property illegally, haveabandoned a property or have made a fraudulent application to obtain social housing.

To find out more or to report allegations of Tenancy Fraud, please visit: www.cambstenancyfraud.net

35Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

Non-Domestic Rates

Non-Domestic Rates, or business rates, collectedby local authorities are the way that those whooccupy non-domestic property contributetowards the cost of local services. Under thebusiness rates retention arrangementsintroduced from 1st April 2013, authoritieskeep a proportion of the business rates paidlocally. This provides a direct financial incentivefor authorities to work with local businesses tocreate a favourable local environment forgrowth since authorities will benefit fromgrowth in business rates revenues. The money,together with revenue from council tax payers,revenue support grant provided by theGovernment and certain other sums, is used topay for the services provided by localauthorities in your area. Further informationabout the business rates system, includingtransitional and other reliefs, may be obtainedat www.gov.uk.

Rateable Value

Apart from properties that are exempt frombusiness rates, each non-domestic property hasa rateable value which is set by the valuationofficers of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA),an agency of Her Majesty’s Revenue andCustoms. They draw up and maintain a full listof all rateable values, available atwww.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency. The rateable value of yourproperty is shown on the front of this bill. Thisbroadly represents the yearly rent the propertycould have been let for on the open market ona particular date. For the revaluation that cameinto effect on 1st April 2010, this date was setas 1st April 2008.

The valuation officer may alter the value ifcircumstances change. The ratepayer (andcertain others who have an interest in theproperty) can appeal against the value shownin the list if they believe it is wrong. The

Government has announced there will be limitson the backdating of changes to ratingassessments with effect from 1st April 2015. Ifthe Valuation Office Agency receive yourappeal on or after 1st April 2015 then theearliest they can back date any changes is thatdate. Your billing authority can only back-dateany business rates rebate to that same date.You will continue to have your full legal rightsto appeal your rating assessment.

The Valuation Office Agency will continue tofulfil their legal obligations to alter ratingassessments if new information comes to lightindicating the valuation is inaccurate. Anyalterations they make on or after 1st April 2016can only be backdated to 1st April 2015.

Further information about the grounds onwhich appeals may be made and the process fordoing so can be found on the www.gov.ukwebsite or obtained from your local valuationoffice.

National Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier

The local authority works out the business ratesbill by multiplying the rateable value of theproperty by the appropriate multiplier. Thereare two multipliers: the standard non-domesticrating multiplier and the small business non-domestic rating multiplier. The former is higherto pay for small business rate relief. Except inthe City of London where special arrangementsapply, the Government sets the multipliers foreach financial year for the whole of Englandaccording to formulae set by legislation.

Between revaluations, the multipliers generallychange each year in line with the Retail PriceIndex in September of the previous year and totake account of the cost of small business raterelief. The calculation of the multipliers hastaken account of the Government’s decision inthe Autumn Statement 2014 to cap the

Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

36 Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

inflation increase to 2% in 2015-16. The currentmultipliers are shown on the front of this bill.

Business Rates Instalments

Payment of business rate bills is automaticallyset on a 10-monthly cycle. However, theGovernment has put in place regulations thatallow businesses to require their local authorityto enable payments to be made through 12monthly instalments. If you wish to take up thisoffer, you should contact the local authority assoon as possible.

Revaluation 2017

All rateable values are reassessed at a generalrevaluation to ensure bills paid by any oneratepayer reflect changes over time in the valueof their property relative to others. This helpsmaintain fairness in the rating system byupdating valuations in line with changes in themarket. The current rating list is based on the2010 revaluation. The Government hasconfirmed that the next revaluation will takeplace in 2017 based on rental values at 1st April2015. More information on revaluation 2017can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency.

In the year of revaluation the multipliers arerebased to account for overall changes to totalrateable value and to ensure that therevaluation does not raise extra money forGovernment. Similarly, the change in therevaluation date to 2017 has no effect on thetotal amount of revenue raised from businessrates.

Unoccupied Property Rating

Business rates will not be payable in the firstthree months that a property is empty. This isextended to six months in the case of certainindustrial properties. After this period rates arepayable in full unless the unoccupied propertyrate has been reduced by the Government byorder. In most cases the unoccupied propertyrate is zero for properties owned by charitiesand community amateur sports clubs. Inaddition, there are a number of exemptions

from the unoccupied property rate. Full detailson exemptions can be obtained from your localauthority. If the unoccupied property rate forthe financial year has been reduced by order, itwill be shown on the front of this bill.

The Government has introduced a temporarymeasure for unoccupied new builds fromOctober 2013. Unoccupied new builds will beexempt from unoccupied property rates for upto 18 months (up to state aid limits) where theproperty comes on to the list between 1stOctober 2013 and 30th September 2016. The 18month period includes the initial 3 or 6 monthexemption and so properties may, ifunoccupied, be exempt from non-domesticrates for up to an extra 15 or 12 months.

Partly Occupied Property Relief

A ratepayer is liable for the full non-domesticrate whether a property is wholly occupied oronly partly occupied. Where a property is partlyoccupied for a short time, the local authorityhas discretion in certain cases to award relief inrespect of the unoccupied part. Full details canbe obtained from the local authority.

Small Business Rate Relief

Ratepayers who are not entitled to anothermandatory relief or are liable for unoccupiedproperty rates and occupy a property with arateable value which does not exceed £17,999outside London or £25,499 in London will havetheir bill calculated using the lower smallbusiness non-domestic rating multiplier, ratherthan the national non-domestic ratingmultiplier.

In addition, generally, if the sole or mainproperty is shown on the rating list with arateable value which does not exceed £12,000,the ratepayer will receive a percentagereduction in their rates bill for this property ofup to a maximum of 50% for a property with arateable value of not more than £6,000. TheGovernment has announced, in the AutumnStatement 2014, that the doubling of the usuallevel of relief - to a maximum of 100% - willcontinue for a further year, until 31st March2016.

37Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

Generally, this percentage reduction (relief) isonly available to ratepayers who occupy either-(a) one property, or(b) one main property and other additionalproperties providing those additionalproperties each have a rateable value whichdoes not exceed £2,599.

The rateable value of the property mentionedin (a), or the aggregate rateable value of all theproperties mentioned in (b), must not exceed£17,999 outside London or £25,499 in Londonon each day for which relief is being sought. Ifthe rateable value, or aggregate rateable value,increases above those levels, relief will ceasefrom the day of the increase.

The Government has introduced additionalsupport to small businesses. For thosebusinesses that take on an additional propertywhich would normally have meant the loss ofsmall business rate relief, the Government hasconfirmed that they will be allowed to keepthat relief for a period of 12 months.

An application for Small Business Rate Relief isnot required. Where a ratepayer meets theeligibility criteria and has not received the reliefthey should contact their local authority.Provided the ratepayer continues to satisfy theconditions for relief which apply at the relevanttime as regards the property and the ratepayer,they will automatically continue to receiverelief in each new valuation period.

Certain changes in circumstances will need tobe notified to the local authority by a ratepayerwho is in receipt of relief (other changes will bepicked up by the local authority). The changeswhich should be notified are-(a)the ratepayer taking up occupation of anadditional property, and(b) an increase in the rateable value of aproperty occupied by the ratepayer in an areaother than the area of the local authority whichgranted the relief.

Charity and Community AmateurSports Club Relief

Charities and registered Community AmateurSports Clubs are entitled to 80% relief where

the property is occupied by the charity or theclub, and is wholly or mainly used for thecharitable purposes of the charity (or of thatand other charities), or for the purposes of theclub (or of that and other clubs).

The local authority has discretion to givefurther relief on the remaining bill. Full detailscan be obtained from your local authority.

Retail Discounts

The Government is giving funding to localauthorities so that they can provide a discountworth up to £1,000 in 2014-15 and up to £1,500in 2015-16 - to retail premises with a rateablevalue of up to £50,000. This will providesupport to premises including pubs, cafes,restaurants and shops. Full details can beobtained from your local authority.

The Government is also giving funding to localauthorities so that they can provide a 50%discount for 18 months for those businessesthat move into retail premises that have beenempty for a year or more. This is available forbusinesses which move into empty premisesbetween 1st April 2014 and 31st March 2016.Full details can be obtained from your localauthority.

Local Discounts

Local authorities have a general power to grantdiscretionary local discounts. Full details can beobtained from your local authority.

State Aid

The award of such discounts is considered likelyto amount to state aid. However it will be stateaid compliant where it is provided inaccordance with the De Minimis Regulations EC1407/2013. The De Minimis Regulations allowan undertaking to receive up to €200,000 ‘deminimis’ aid over a rolling three year period. Ifyou are receiving, or have received, any ‘deminimis’ aid granted during the current or twoprevious financial years (from any source), youshould inform the local authority immediatelywith details of the aid received.

38 Non-Domestic Rates explanatory notes

Hardship Relief

The local authority has discretion to givehardship relief in specific circumstances. Fulldetails can be obtained from the localauthority.

Rating Advisers

Ratepayers do not have to be represented indiscussions about their rateable value or theirrates bill. Appeals against rateable values canbe made free of charge. However, ratepayerswho do wish to be represented should beaware that members of the Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors (RICS - websitewww.rics.org) and the Institute of Revenues,Rating and Valuation (IRRV - websitewww.irrv.org.uk) are qualified and are

regulated by rules of professional conductdesigned to protect the public frommisconduct. Before you employ a rating adviser,you should check that they have the necessaryknowledge and expertise, as well asappropriate indemnity insurance. Take greatcare and, if necessary, seek further advicebefore entering into any contract.

Information Supplied with Demand Notices

Information relating to the relevant andprevious financial years in regard to the grossexpenditure of the local authority is enclosed inthis booklet. This booklet and additionalinformation can be found on the council’swebsite (see contacts page 47 for websiteaddress).

47Useful contacts at South Cambridgeshire District Council

South Cambridgeshire District CouncilCambourne Business Park, Cambourne, Cambridge, CB23 6EAOpen Monday to Friday from 8am to 5.30pm

Visit our self serve website www.scambs.gov.uk whereyou can pay it, apply for it, and report it, at a click of abutton.

[email protected] [email protected]@scambs.gov.uk [email protected]

Council tax bill enquiries.................................0345 045 0064Business rate enquiries.....................................01954 713112Housing benefit/council tax support..............0345 045 0061Council housing rents......................................0345 045 0064General enquiries............................................0345 045 0500

Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughFire AuthorityHinchingbrooke Cottage, Brampton Road, Huntingdon PE29 2NA

Fire Service Headquarters...............................01480 444500

In an emergency dial 999

Cambridgeshire Police & Crime CommissionerPO Box 688, Huntingdon, PE29 9LAOffice of the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner.......................................0300 333 3456Constabulary non emergency number............................101

In an emergency dial 999

Cambridgeshire County CouncilShire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge CB3 0AP

General Enquiries (Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 1pm)..............................................0345 045 5200

Libraries...........................................................0345 045 5225Road Maintenance..........................................0345 045 5212Schools/Education...........................................01223 706 399Street Lighting.................................................0800 783 8247Trading Standards (consumer protection).........0345 404 0506Waste Management........................................0345 045 5207Social Services (adult services)........................0345 045 5202Social Services (children’s services).................0345 045 5203Social Services (out of hours)..........................01733 234 724

If you would like a copy of the text in this leaflet in large print, Braille,audiotape or inanother language,please call

0345 045 0064

Cambridge ValuationOffice AgencyBanding/Valuationenquiries

03000 501 501

For more information visit:

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk

www.scambs.gov.uk

www.cambsfire.gov.uk

www.cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk

You can also follow and contact us on Twitter by sendingyour message to @southcambs, or on Facebook bysearching for ‘South Cambridgeshire’.

Do it online atwww.scambs.gov.uk


Did you knowOur website has lots of other forms to help you pay for it, report it and apply forit online. This includes reporting a missed bin, letting us know you have moved

home and applying for grant funding

Are you registered to vote?Registering for Council Tax does not register you to vote.

Visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to make sure your voice is heard

Pay a bill onlineVisit www.scambs.gov.uk and click the ‘pay for it’

button. Paying online is quicker and can be done 24hours a day, seven days a week

Set up a Direct DebitTake the hassle free option and set up to pay your

Council Tax by monthly Direct Debit. Visitwww.scambs.gov.uk/content/ways-pay-your-council-tax

to fill in the form

Pay by phoneIf you do not have internet access you can pay your

bill by calling us on 03450 455 218

Moving home - please tell usYou can tell us you’re moving by visiting

www.scambs.gov.uk and clicking the ‘report it’ button

Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support and discountsApply for benefits and discounts by visiting

www.scambs.gov.uk and clicking the ‘apply for it’button. You can also visit

www.scambs.gov.uk/content/discounts

south cambridgeshire council tax 2015/16

Documents