PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(15 May 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Valuation Office Agency is applying the statutory requirement to base Council Tax bandings on 1 April 1991 property values; and whether he will review the consistency and transparency of the Agency’s banding decisions to reassure residents they are not being overcharged due to incorrect or inflated banding decisions.

Asked by:
Michelle Scrogham (Labour)

The Valuation Office will assess the council tax bands of all domestic properties in England based on their capital value in 1991. Information on how the Valuation Office assesses the banding of individual properties is available here. They continue to carry out their work independently of central government.

Where residents believe banding may be inaccurate there is a process to challenge these bandings. The government has committed to consult further on improving the process for challenging bands.

The Valuation Office has been integrated into HMRC from 1 April 2026 and therefore no longer exist as an executive agency.

Answered by:
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