Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Local Government Reorganisation (Wales) (Council Tax Reduction Scheme) Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 11th March 1997.

Interpretation

2.-(1) In these Regulations-

"the Act" means the Local Government Finance Act 1992;

"the 1994 Act" means the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994(2);

"the Benefit Regulations" means the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992(3);

"billing authority" means a Welsh billing authority;

"chargeable dwelling" means a chargeable dwelling in Wales;

"county" means a county in Wales established under the 1994 Act;

"county borough" means a county borough in Wales established under the 1994 Act;

"the transferred parts of Ewenny" means those parts of the community of Ewenny in the county borough of The Vale of Glamorgan transferred to the communities of Bridgend and Coychurch Lower in the county borough of Bridgend by the Bridgend and The Vale of Glamorgan (Areas) Order 1996(4);

"the transferred part of Llangan" means that part of the community of Llangan in the county borough of The Vale of Glamorgan transferred to the community of Coychurch Lower in the county borough of Bridgend by the Bridgend and The Vale of Glamorgan (Areas) Order 1996;

"Llangollen" means the community of Llangollen in the county of Denbighshire; and

"section 10", "section 11" and "section 12" mean section 10 of the Act, section 11 of the Act and section 12 of the Act, respectively.

(2) Subject to regulation 3, in these Regulations "community area" means-

(a)except in relation to Llangollen, an area which is co-extensive with the area, as at 1st January 1997, of a community,

(b)in relation to Llangollen, the area of that community as altered by the Denbighshire and Wrexham (Areas) Order 1996(5),

and a community area identified in the Schedule to these Regulations by the name of a community in a county or county borough means the area which is co-extensive with the area of that community on 1st January 1997 or, in the case of Llangollen, 1st April 1997.

(3) In these Regulations, in relation to an amount a person is liable to pay in respect of council tax-

"the appropriate reduction" means the amount (if any) prescribed in the Schedule to these Regulations in relation to the relevant community area and the relevant valuation band;

"the relevant community area" means the community area in which the relevant chargeable dwelling is situated; and

"the relevant chargeable dwelling" means the chargeable dwelling in respect of which the person is liable to pay the amount.

(4) In these Regulations, in relation to an amount a person is liable to pay in respect of council tax, any reference to the relevant valuation band is a reference to the valuation band shown as applicable to the relevant chargeable dwelling in the billing authority's valuation list.

(5) Any reference in these Regulations to a person who is liable to pay to a billing authority, in respect of a particular dwelling, an amount in respect of council tax (whether his liability is sole, or joint and several), includes, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to a person who in the opinion of the authority will be so liable; and references to the amount which a person is liable to pay shall be construed accordingly.

Application to areas transferred by boundary orders

3. These Regulations shall apply to the transferred parts of Ewenny and the transferred part of Llangan as if those parts were community areas in the county borough of Bridgend.

Calculation of amount payable

4.-(1) Where-

(a)a person is liable to pay an amount ("the amount") to a billing authority in respect of council tax for a day in the financial year beginning on 1st April 1997,

(b)the amount is determined under section 10, and

(c)the relevant chargeable dwelling is situated in a community area named in the Schedule to these Regulations,

the amount shall be reduced by deducting from it an amount calculated in accordance with the formula-

(2) If the amount mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above is determined under section 10 read with section 11 or section 12, the deduction required by paragraph (1) above shall be made from the original amount.

(3) In paragraph (2) above "the original amount" is the amount which would be determined under section 10 read without section 11 and section 12.

(4) Where a determination awarding council tax benefit under the Benefit Regulations is effective as regards the chargeable dwelling and a day in respect of which a person is liable to pay the amount mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above in respect of that dwelling for that day, the amount which he is so liable to pay shall be-

(a)the amount ascertained in accordance with paragraph (1), or paragraphs (1) and (2) above, as the case may be, for that day

(b)less the amount of his council tax benefit for that day.

Appeals

5.-(1) Where a billing authority makes a decision relating to the application or operation of these Regulations in relation to an individual, the authority shall, if requested in writing by the person so affected, provide him with a written statement of its decision and the reason for it; and any such statement shall be sent within 14 days from the date on which it is requested or as soon as is reasonably practicable thereafter.

(2) No appeal may be made to a valuation tribunal in respect of any decision of a billing authority relating solely to the application or operation of these Regulations; but a person aggrieved by such a decision may appeal to a review board appointed by the billing authority and constituted as mentioned in regulation 70(3) of the Benefit Regulations.

Notice of appeal

6. An appellant shall give notice of appeal under these Regulations in writing to the billing authority within 4 weeks of the date on which the statement referred to in regulation 5(1) above is sent by the billing authority to the appellant.

Procedure for appeals

7.-(1) Regulations 71(2) to (9) and 72(4) and (5) of the Benefit Regulations shall apply with the necessary modifications for the purposes of an appeal under these Regulations as they apply for the purposes of a further review.

(2) A billing authority shall comply with any decision of its review board.

Regulations 2, 3 and 4

SCHEDULEPRESCRIBED AMOUNTS OF REDUCTION

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations set out a scheme for reducing the liability of certain individuals in Wales to pay council tax for the financial year beginning 1st April 1997.

Regulation 4 provides for the reduction of a person's liability to be determined by reference to the appropriate reduction, if any, for the community area and the relevant valuation band for the chargeable dwelling.

Regulations 5 to 7 provide for appeals regarding the application or operation of these Regulations by billing authorities.

The Schedule lists the community areas in relation to which a reduction is prescribed, together with the appropriate reduction for each council tax valuation band.