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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the level of variation in council tax per dwelling between rural and urban local authorities; and what steps he is considering taking to ensure that households in rural areas are not subject to higher tax burdens due to property valuation and banding distributions.

All councils are responsible for setting their own level of council tax to meet their specific service requirements. The government annually publishes data on the council tax levels set by different local authorities across the country. This is available here. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the system and consider options for reform where there is clear evidence that change would deliver better outcomes for residents and councils alike.