What is Council tax?

General information on Council tax

Council tax is a tax on domestic properties, which helps towards the costs of providing local services such as education, social services, highways, environmental health and refuse collection.

 

We collect council tax from 85,000 homes in the borough. Your contributions go towards paying for local services like schools, roads, libraries, police, fire, rubbish collection and more.

Council tax accounts for about 20% of the council's overall spending needs, as well as making contributions to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The remaining contributions to the council come from other charges and government grants.

Council tax is a charge which is paid usually by the occupants of the property. If you are the only occupant in your home, you may be eligible for a discount. The full tax assumes that there are at least two adults living in the property. The tax is also paid by the property owner where the property is unoccupied and no relief is applicable.

Council tax is a locally set tax that is payable on all domestic properties. In most cases there will be one bill per property, whether it is a house, bungalow, flat, maisonette, mobile home or houseboat, and whether it is owned or rented.

What do residents get for their money?

Harrow Council has worked exceptionally hard over the past year to make savings, balance the budget and provide excellent value for money for residents.

 

Whilst it accounts for just a fifth of all the money that a local authority spends, council tax does pay for an important amount of services that benefit residents, businesses and visitors.