Your Council Tax

Most of the Council Tax we collect from you is used for services that are provided by Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and Kent Fire and Rescue Service plus some is used by the parish and town councils. Only 10% of what you pay is used to fund borough council services, which on average is 53p per day.

Here is a breakdown of each £ collected and where it goes

• Kent Police 11p
• Parishes 3p
• Kent Fire and Rescue 4p
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council 10p
• Kent County Council 72p

Find out about the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner precept increases for 2022/23 on the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner website.

Find out about the Kent Fire and Rescue Service increases for 2022/23 on the Kent Fire and Rescue Service website.

Referendum Limits

Although Council Tax is set locally by democratically elected local members at a public meeting of Full Council the Secretary of State has the power to set a limit above which a referendum must he held. For 2022/23 the limits allowed Kent County Council to increase their Council Tax by up to 3 per cent, comprising a core 2 per cent plus an extra 1 per cent provided this is attributable to funding adult social care.

The Secretary of State made an offer to adult social care authorities. (“Adult social care authorities” are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)

The offer was the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional “precept” on its Council Tax without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting its expenditure on adult social care from the financial year 2016-17.

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner have a limit of £10 which is 4.6 per cent increase over the previous year.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has a limit of £5 which is 2.65 per cent increase over the previous year.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service have a limit of 2 per cent increase over the previous year.

There are no set limits of increasing Council Tax for parish and town councils.

The table summarises, for each Council Tax band, the amount of Council Tax allocated to each of the organisations described above.

This section gives you a breakdown of our income and expenditure.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s financial position remains sound but further significant pressures are ahead. The level of Council Tax reflects the need to deliver the Council’s priorities and statutory services, and to strike the right balance with fees and charges and Council Tax payers.

After over a decade of austerity and with Revenue Support Grant from the Government being reduced to zero the Council has had to operate on a very lean base. The impact of the pandemic has significantly reduced the income the Council receives from sales, fees and charges whilst additional pressure from demand for services and high inflation have stretched the Council finances.

The Council’s budget strategy of using reserves rather than cuts to services at least until the government comes forward with a multi-year finance settlement was overwhelmingly supported by the public. This approach will also give time for the impact from the pandemic to settle and to understand the demand and willingness of the public to pay for local services. This evidence can then be used to make informed decisions on services that can be afforded over the medium-term.

The government has developed a universal benchmark indicator called ‘Spending Power’ to measure the revenue available to provide local services. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has one of the lowest levels of Spending Power in Kent at just £252 per household and therefore must continue to seek further value for money in the services that are delivered. Despite operating in one of the most expensive parts of the country combined with inflationary pressures and a rising population.

Borough General Council Tax for a Band D property. The average general Council Tax for a Band D property will be £137.83 for 2022/23 across the borough.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council also provides certain services in Capel, Southborough, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall for the benefit of those residents for which the Council levies a special expense charge only on Council Tax payers in those respective areas. This expenditure is included in the Council’s revenue budget.

The amount of Council Tax you pay will vary where parish and town councils have issued a precept to the borough council.

See here for contact details for parish and town budget information

Parish and Town Precepts (exceeding £140,000)

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst

Goudhurst

Hawkhurst

Paddock Wood

Pembury

Southborough

Speldhurst

Summary of Revenue Budget

These figures exclude the re-allocation of overhead costs, including support service costs, departmental administrative costs and fixed asset depreciation charges to front line services. The ‘Other Services’ heading includes corporate management and a contingency provision.

Your bill will tell you what band you are in and how much you need to pay. Council Tax is calculated based on your band and the area of the borough you live in.

2022/23 charges

Check your band

12 monthly payments

Council Tax is normally spread over 10 monthly instalments. If you wish to pay your bill over 12 monthly instalments please see our change your bill frequency page.

Direct Debit

Paying by secure Direct Debit is the simplest and easiest way to pay your bill.

• you can pay over 10 or 12 monthly instalments, pay the full amount in one go or pay half yearly
• sign up online and choose either the 1st or 15th of each month to make your payment
• you will need your bank details and your Council Tax account number

Set up a Direct Debit

Online

You can pay your Council Tax securely through our online payments site.

To make a payment online you will need:

• a debit or credit card (Visa and Mastercard only)
• your nine digit Council Tax account number

Pay online

Telephone payments

Payments can be made securely on our automated telephone payment line.

Telephone: 0800 023 7086

Please follow the prompts to make your payment. You will be given a transaction number when your payment is successfully completed.

Bank transfer or standing order

You can make payment through your own online banking by transferring payment to the Council's account or by setting up a regular standing order.

Please ensure you quote your nine digit Council Tax account number on all payments.

Our bank details are:

Cash payments

Cash payments can be made using the payment kiosk at the Tunbridge Wells Gateway.

Allocation of payments

If you have outstanding Council Tax arrears for a previous year, and your payment does not match the amount outstanding on the current year, your payment may be allocated towards the arrears rather than where you intend. You will need to contact us to let us know which year your payment is for.

Achievements from 2021/2022 from across Tunbridge Wells Borough Council:

• To keep borough residents informed, the Council has introduced a new weekly email newsletter for residents. Now, with more than 10,000 subscribers, you can also sign up at twbc.online/alerts.
• To gain the views of residents, the Council has introduced TalkingPoint, a new way of consulting on the Council’s initiatives.
• £1.4m was secured towards the development for The Amelia Scott, a new cultural and learning centre for Tunbridge Wells. The project remains on track and is due to open doors to the public April 2022. For progress updates go to theamelia.co.uk.
• Safely delivered four sets of elections (PCC, KCC, Borough and Parish) against the backdrop of the pandemic and changing restrictions.
• Undertook Regulation 19 consultation and submitted the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Independent Examination.
• Successfully defended an appeal against the refusal of planning permission for 400 houses and a new road in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Hawkhurst.
• Successfully bid for £1.5m grant to deliver carbon reduction measures for Council building (Depot and Weald Sports Centre) and undertake detailed review of 12 largest assets (Salix bids).
• A parklet and planter scheme was introduced in Royal Tunbridge Wells, these were well received, and the scheme extended for 18 months.
• As part of the Queen's Green Canopy Tunbridge Wells Borough Council pledged to plant 700 saplings across the borough. These were successfully distributed to residents, charities and schools. Planting trees is one of the many steps we can take in helping reduce our atmospheric emissions.
• After setting a commitment to become a carbon neutral Council by 2030 we launched a new website, aimed to educate and inspire residents on this journey.
• Determined more planning applications in the calendar year 2021 than any in the preceding decade.

Approx £11m of grant + CARF given to businesses during the financial year

If you live in a property in Council Tax bands A to D, you are likely to receive a £150 council tax rebate from the Government to help with the cost of living.

Who’s eligible?

Households in council tax bands A-D will receive the £150 council tax rebate.

This means 4 out of 5 households in England will benefit, including around 95% of rented properties. However, second homes or empty properties will not benefit. If you are unsure of your council tax band, check your council tax band via your printed council tax bill, online via the GOV.UK website or contact your local council.

Scan the QR code with your smart mobile device to check your council tax band.