Tax team targeting the wrong homes

B&NES Council’s “stronger and more widespread” action on empty homes, by increasing the council tax charged on these, is at first appearance exemplary.

However, the policy appears vitiated by the council tax team’s evident inability to identify empty properties.

We the signatories both bought neighbouring new apartments, as soon as they were completed in August 2018, and have been in full possession and occupation ever since.

The appropriate council tax has been regularly paid.

However, on January 15, 2019, we both received letters from the council tax team leader Mrs A S Dalton-jones, alleging that our properties are “empty and unfurnished” and that the council tax would consequently be doubled from April 1, 2020, and in time thereafter tripled.

We emailed to correct the error, which resulted only in a telephone call from a very sceptical lady who said the team would need to make an inspection – which has not yet taken place.

We therefore wrote to Mrs Dalton-jones on January 28, asking how the team had been misled into supposing the apartments were unoccupied and unfurnished.

We have had no reply, and wonder how many other happily domiciled households are being similarly threatened. Harry Ogle David Robinson By email