Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman press release and report, "Ombudsman warns thousands may be missing free way to challenge council tax bills", 27 August 2026, what steps her department is taking to ensure local billing authorities correctly signpost the rights of taxpayers to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal, and what steps have been taken in the last 12 months to publicise council taxpayers’ rights to council tax discounts and exemptions.

Billing authorities administer the council tax system and the government has no plans to intervene on this matter, however, it continues to keep the system under review. Legislation requires that council tax bills must explain the procedure to be followed when someone wishes to dispute their council tax liability. In addition, it is the government’s expectation that billing authorities will make taxpayers aware of their rights as part of their day-to-day administration of council tax.

The government makes available a Plain English Guide to Council Tax setting out the exemptions and discounts available in the system. This guide includes circumstances and timeframes for making appeals to the valuation tribunal.