Official Statistics

Council Taxbase 2012 in England

Estimate of the number of properties liable for Council Tax.

Applies to England

Documents

Local authority Council Taxbase 2012: England

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Table 1: number of chargeable dwellings 2008 to 2012

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Table 2: dwellings, exemptions and discounts by valuation band as at 10 September 2012

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Table 3: number of dwellings exempt from Council Tax by class of exemption 2008 to 2012

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Council Taxbase local authority-level data 2012

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Details

The latest statistics release includes data from 2008 to 2012 updating the statistics Council Taxbase 2011 in England previously issued on 16 November 2011.

Number of dwellings

The main points are:

  • in England there were 22.4 million dwellings on the Valuation Office valuation list liable for Council Tax as at 10 September 2012; this is an increase of 1% compared with 2011 and an increase of 3% compared with 2008
  • the number of dwellings on the valuation list that are exempt from Council Tax increased by 2% compared with 2011
  • 35% of all exemptions from Council Tax are class C (short-term vacant dwellings)
  • a further 27% of all exemptions are class M or N (student-related exemptions); of these, class M exemptions have increased by more than 48% in the period 2008 to 2012
  • the number of class L exemptions (unoccupied dwellings repossessed by a mortgage lender) again fell between September 2011 and September 2012 to 9,400, the fourth consecutive annual fall; there are now 6,500 (or 41%) fewer class L exemptions than the peak in 2008
  • 7.7 million dwellings were entitled to a discount as a result of being occupied by single adults; this represents 33% of all dwellings
  • 2.7 million band A dwellings (50% of all dwellings liable to band A Council Tax) were entitled to a single adult’s discount
  • the total number of dwellings on the Valuation Office valuation list in England as at 10 September 2012 was 23.2 million, up 143,000 (or 1%) compared with 2011

Empty properties

The main points are:

  • between 2011 and 2012 the number of long-term empty dwellings subject to a discount fell by 33,000 (or 26%); in the same period the number of long-term empty dwellings not subject to a discount increased by 8,000 (or 5%), giving a net reduction of 25,000, or 9%, in the total number of long-term empty dwellings between 2011 and 2012
  • the number of long-term empty dwellings that were subject to a discount has fallen by 91,000, or 50%, between 2008 and 2012; in the same period the number of long-term empty dwellings that do not receive a discount has increased by 18,000 or 13%, giving a net reduction of 73,000, or 22%, in the total number of long-term empty dwellings between 2008 and 2012
  • since the introduction of the New Homes Bonus in the summer of 2010 a large number of authorities have taken the opportunity to review the empty properties and second homes in their area; a number have also altered the level of discount awarded with many abolishing the discount for empty properties altogether

Updates to this page

Published 20 November 2012
Last updated 1 March 2013 + show all updates
  1. Due to a minor revision 'Council Taxbase local authority-level data 2012' spreadsheet has been replaced.

  2. Due to minor revisions 'Council Taxbase local authority-level data 2012' spreadsheet has been replaced.

  3. First published.

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