WIREDGOV

A National/Official Statistics Publication for Scotland.

The provisional in-year Council Tax collection rate for Scotland 2014-15 was 95.4 per cent, continuing a steady improvement since 1998-99. Meanwhile, Scotland’s Council Tax Reduction scheme supported 525,640 vulnerable people in March 2015, with a total of £345.9 million awarded over the 2014-15 year.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today released Council Tax Reduction and Council Tax collection statistics, for 2014-15.

Council Tax collection statistics show that a total of £2.076 billion was billed in Council Tax for Scotland as a whole in 2014-15, of which £1.981 billion was collected by 31 March 2015. This equates to a provisional in-year Council Tax collection rate of 95.4 per cent. The collection rate for all Council Tax billing years between 1993-94 and 2014-15 now stands at 96.6 per cent (this includes late payments collected after the end of the billing year).

Council Tax Reduction statistics show a gradual downward trend in the number of recipients, with 525,640 in March 2015, a 4.8 per cent decrease since the scheme was introduced in April 2013. One in five chargeable dwellings received a reduction in their Council Tax liability through Council Tax Reduction in March 2015. More than half of the recipients were in one of the 30 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland. The provisional total amount awarded in Council Tax Reduction was £345.9 million in 2014-15, lower than the 2013-14 figure of £359.7 million.

The figures released today were produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Notes To Editors

Council Tax Collection

The Council Tax collection statistics publication is available at: http://www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01166

This publication contains statistics on Council Tax billing and collection for all Scottish Local Authorities for the financial year 2014-15 and previous billing years. The figures are published annually and are based on provisional unaudited values. Final audited figures are published in the Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics publication.

The information published is used by The Scottish Government, Local Authorities, COSLA, CIPFA and others to monitor the amounts of Council Tax that are billed and collected by Local Authorities, as well as for performance indicator purposes.

Council Tax Reduction

The Council Tax Reduction publication is available at: http://www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01165

This publication contains statistics on Council Tax Reduction covering the time period from April 2014 to March 2015. It is an annual compendium publication and includes detailed information on Council Tax Reduction recipients, their characteristics, and average awards. Local Authority breakdowns are included. Headline figures for the numbers of recipients and weekly award estimates will be published each quarter for each Local Authority in 2015-16, followed by an annual compendium at the end of the year.

Statistics for each month from April 2013, further information on Council Tax Reduction statistics and previous publications are available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Local-Government-Finance/CTR

The information published is used by The Scottish Government, COSLA and Local Authorities to monitor the number and characteristics of people receiving Council Tax Reduction and the amounts being spent on the scheme. The figures are also used to forecast and allocate funding for future years.

Further information on Council Tax Reduction statistics, including previous publications can be accessed at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Local-Government-Finance/CTR

Further information on Council Tax statistics, including number of dwellings and Council Tax rates for each Local Authority are available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Local-Government-Finance

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About