Council tax
All households in East Renfrewshire, whether privately owned or rented, are responsible for paying Council Tax. This important source of income ensures that we can provide a wide range of essential services to all our residents.
You should receive your Council Tax bill every year in March.
Information about Council Tax benefits can be found in our Council Tax Benefit Leaflet 2008-09 and the Quick Guide to Council Tax Benefit 2008-09. These are available to download at the bottom of this page.
Moving house
If you are moving house, you need to tell us if:
you currently live in East Renfrewshire and are about to move to another property within East Renfrewshire
you have just moved from a property in East Renfrewshire to another in East Renfrewshire
you are moving, or have moved, into East Renfrewshire from another area
You can either complete an online form, or get in touch and we will post a form to you. Please note: you do not need to complete the property reference number on the form.
You must also complete a new direct debit mandate, even if you already pay by direct debit. Submit the completed mandate part of the form to us and we will send it on to your bank or building society.
Contact
Council Tax
Council Offices
211 Main Street
Barrhead
G78 1SY
Telephone: (0141) 577 3002
Website: council tax enquiry form
How your Council Tax money is spent
Council Tax is the only tax-based element of our Council funding which is not determined by the Scottish Executive. Government grants this year will fund £148.9 million (77%) of our total Council expenditure, while Council Tax meets the remaining costs of £43.9 million (23%). Government grants include income from business rates, which are pooled on a national basis and redistributed to individual councils through the grant system.
This year, investment in Education will continue with extensions scheduled at St.Thomas' and St. Joseph’s primary schools and St. Ninian’s and Eastwood high schools. In addition, the fabric of a number of schools will be upgraded to enhance existing provisions.
There will also be a major upgrade to the Education IT network, with 75% of all classrooms being equipped with the latest “whiteboard" electronic technology. This technology has been proven to enhance learning and teaching, by encouraging young people to participate in their own learning programmes.
Our Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP) will open a new resource centre in Barrhead for people with learning disabilities. This centre will provide a base for integrated day care opportunities and health and social care. The Sandyford Clinic “hub” in Barrhead will also be developed to expand the health services available to our residents.
Funds have been secured to continue developing the kerbside recycling services across the area, and to improve the infrastructure of our parks and cemeteries. Additional funds have also been made available to increase the graffiti removal service and to boost the increased resources made available in 2006/07 for roads repairs.
Audio files
The files below are audio versions of the pdf documents that can be found at the bottom of this page.
The following guides have been prepared to help visually impaired users. Select the links below to start downloading and playing the content, using your prefered media player on your computer.The guide is available as separate chapter downloads. Their individual duration times and file sizes are indicated below.
| Description | Duration (mins : sec) | WMA | MP3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget for 2008 / 2009 | 0 : 51 |  (WMA 806kb) |  (MP3 795kb) |
| How much will I pay? | 4 : 41 | (WMA 4,418kb) | (MP3 4,389kb) |
| Water and sewerage charges | 0 : 39 | (WMA 618kb) | (MP3 608kb) |
| East Renfrewshire budget explained | 0 : 57 | (WMA 905kb) | (MP3 894kb) |
| Discounts and reductions | 1 : 04 | (WMA 1,016kb) | (MP3 1,007kb) |
| Council tax benefit | 0 : 39 | (WMA 1,751kb) | (MP3 1,736kb) |
| Just moved into a new house | 0 : 38 | (WMA 602kb) | (MP3 591kb) |
| How your money is spent | 9 : 03 | (WMA 8,544kb) | (MP3 8,494kb) |
| Who pays the bill? | 1 : 12 | (WMA 1,133kb) | (MP3 1,123kb) |
| Customer Connect | 1 : 19 | (WMA 1,255kb) | (MP3 1,244kb) |
| Payment difficulties | 1 : 20 | (WMA 1,273kb) | (MP3 1,260kb) |
| Ways to pay | 2 : 23 | (WMA 2,259kb) | (MP3 2,240kb) |
| Business rates | 1 : 51 | (WMA 1,757kb) | (MP3 1,742kb) |
| Enquiries and information | 1 : 34 | (WMA 1,489kb) | (MP3 1,465kb) |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What are the banding charges for council tax?
- A: Your Council Tax is based on the value of your property, which is decided by the Assessor from the Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board. The value or band assigned to your home reflects the Assessor’s opinion of your property’s open market value as at 1 April 1991. Your band will be shown on your Council Tax bill. For current band charges, please check our "Council Tax - banding" web page.
- Q: How can I pay my Council Tax?
- A: You can pay your Council Tax in a variety of ways: online, by telephone or by Direct Debit for example. Please see our webpage "Account enquiries and payments" for full details.
- Q: How do I obtain a payment card for Council Tax?
- A: Contact our Customer Services Officers on (0141) 577 3002 to arrange to have a card sent out to you. Alternatively, you can email ctax@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk, with your name, address and reference number.
- Q: What happens if I don't pay my Council Tax?
- A: If you pay by monthly instalments, and you do not pay an instalment in full on the day it is due, we will send you a reminder notice. This will ask you to pay the outstanding balance of the instalment within seven days.
The reminder comes in two parts. If part 1 is unpaid within the seven days' timescale, you will lose the right to pay in instalments and part 2 of the notice becomes active. This means the full year's balance is due and you will have fourteen days to pay this total.
If you do not pay this amount within fourteen days, a summary warrant will be taken to recover the debt. At this stage a 10% statutory surcharge is added to the outstanding balance on your account.
By law, you cannot receive more than two reminders in any one financial year. - Q: How do I register for council tax?
- A: If you have just moved into a new house in the area, call us on (0141) 577 3002 and ask for a change of occupier form. Alternatively, download the "Moving home within East Renfrewshire" form from our publications directory. If you require any status discounts, let us know. Usually you pay Council Tax from the date you move into your new house.
More Questions with Answers
Related Documents
Council Tax Benefit - Booklet 2008 / 09 (PDF 1237.2kb)
Council Tax Benefits - Quick Guide 2008 / 09 (PDF 28.7kb)