Dear Sir,
As we approach another round of local elections, we see in the Newton News the slinging backwards and forwards of innuendo and insults. The current hot potato is double taxation. It is said by some that Aycliffe is double taxed whilst Chester-le-Street is not. Could you, as the people’s champion, obtain the various household tax bands for the two towns, then your readership will have an honest answer?
Name and address supplied
ED: Great Aycliffe Town Council adds an extra ‘parish’ precept on top of the precepts set: by Durham County Council, by the Police and Fire Service, and for Adult Social Care. There is no parish council in Chester-le-Street, so no parish precept is added; the difference is about £250 for a Band D property. Aycliffe residents could compare their council tax with Peterlee, which has a parish council, and therefore adds to the Council Tax in the same way as Great Aycliffe Town Council. This should help readers to understand how the council tax is set in towns across County Durham. (Council tax bands are based on the value of your property as at 1st April 1991, not on its current value).
Band Property Values (as at 1991)
A Up to £40,000
B £40,001 – £52,000
C £52,001 – £68,000
D £68,001 – £88,000
E £88,001 – £120,000
F £120,001 – £160,000
G £160,001 – £320,000
H £320,000 and over
Great Aycliffe
A 1,483.28
B 1,730.50
C 1,977.70
D 2,224.92
E 2,719.34
F 3,213.78
G 3,708.20
H 4,449.84
Peterlee
A 1,508.27
B 1,759.65
C 2,011.02
D 2,262.40
E 2,765.15
F 3,267.91
G 3,770.67
H 4,524.80
Chester-le-Street
A 1,316.56
B 1,535.99
C 1,755.41
D 1,974.84
E 2,413.69
F 2,852.55
G 3,291.40
H 3,949.68
