12 h. ago Scots paying five tax hikes this year with council, booze and income taxes all hit

Household budgets are being stretched ever tighter for many Scots. Here's a reminder of some tax changes that have recently taken force.

Economics

26 h. ago Reform UK candidate at next week's local elections was last year convicted of £5,000 council tax fraud

Martyn Cubitt is standing for Nigel Farage 's party for the Burwell division of Cambridgeshire County Council next Thursday.

Economics

27 h. ago Reform UK on course to win in two mayoral contests – UK politics live

Polling predicts victory for party in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull/East Yorkshire with the Greens possibly taking West of EnglandThere are six mayoral elections next week. Two of them are for single-authority mayors (Doncaster and North Tyneside), but the others are for combined-authority mayors (or regional mayors – like metro mayors, but not just covering city regions). Today YouGov has released polling covering all four of these contests and it suggests Reform UK is on course to win two of them easily. And the Green party is narrowly ahead in a third, the poll suggests.Here are the polling figures.In theory the Tories should be winning in Lincolnshire as they hold most of the parliamentary seats in the area and have dominated local politics forever. But it’s also the most Reform-friendly part of the country. It contains Richard Tice’s constituency and numerous seats in which they came second. Plus their candidate is a former Tory MP – Andrea Jenkyns, famous for her Boris Johnson...

Politics

30 h. ago Reeves hints at priority as she says ‘trading relationship with Europe arguably more important’ than US – UK politics live

Chancellor said she understood the focus on possible deal with US, but added the EU remained ‘our nearest neighbours and trading partners’Water company bosses face up to two years in prison if they cover up illegal sewage spills under new laws coming into force, PA Media reports. PA says:The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said no prison sentences have been handed to water company executives since privatisation despite widespread illegal sewage discharges, and the tougher penalties were essential because some firms have obstructed investigations.Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “Bosses must face consequences if they commit crimes. There must be accountability. From today, there will be no more hiding places.”I’m now pretty optimistic that we are moving in a good direction.In the end, I think everybody understands that this is about our security in Europe. It requires cooperation between democracies, friends, allies, countries with the same values.The...

Politics

3 d. ago Starmer urged to end benefit reassessments for those with learning disabilities

Sir Keir Starmer was questioned about personal independence payments at PMQs.

Politics

3 d. ago Thousands of households to get £195 of free supermarket vouchers

Wakefield Council has decided to offer supermarket vouchers to households who are in receipt of Council Tax Support - see the exact eligibility criteria below

Economics

4 d. ago New call for Council Tax discount for all people over State Pension age

An online petition is calling for State Pension incomes to be taken into account when calculating Council Tax bills.

Economics

4 d. ago Plans tabled for Scotland’s first council tax revaluation in more than 30 years

The Greens said the wealthiest were ‘getting off with an absolute steal’

Politics

4 d. ago Councils lose over half a million jobs in ten years as new research lays funding crisis bare

As its funding crisis has deepened, Birmingham council has lost tens of thousands of workers

Economics

4 d. ago Council tax bills would rise under plan for huge shakeup of the system in Scotland

EXCLUSIVE: The Green proposal for a council tax revaluation aims to overhaul the historic council tax banding system.

Economics

4 d. ago Martin Lewis urges hundreds of thousands of homeowners to check if they are owed tax refund

The Money Saving Expert said that 800,000 households could be eligible for a huge refund in overpaid council tax without even knowing it - here's how you can check

Economics

5 d. ago New Council Tax rules now in force for people who miss a single monthly payment

Councils can seize benefits and take other actions to recover the owed payments.

Economics

5 d. ago Martin Lewis MSE warning to anyone who has moved home since 1993

If you've moved house in the last 31 years, especially to a different council area, you could be one of the 800,000 households eligible for a Council Tax refund worth £100s

Events

7 d. ago The second homes council tax loophole is playing us for fools: Fury of beauty spot villages overrun by holiday lets as owners dodge soaring bills by exploiting little

Neighbours living in the stunning Cornish town of Padstow say the problem is so severe, it could erase the seaside resort's heritage, permanently driving away local families.

Economics

7 d. ago Lanarkshire residents struggling to pay council tax bills urged not to delay seeking help

Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the free moneyadvice.scotservice, said stricter recovery policies are likely to have the biggest impact on vulnerable people.

Economics

8 d. ago I've inherited a house but it needs work: Do I have to pay double council tax until it is sold?

My siblings and I have inherited our uncle's house and are planning to sell it. Do we have to pay double council tax, as it's technically a second home?

Economics

1 week ago How to reduce Council Tax monthly payments without claiming a discount

Council Tax bills have increased across the country but there is a way to lower the monthly payment.

Economics

1 week ago UK inflation falls to 2.6%, increasing pressure on Bank to cut interest rates

March annual rate comes before expected rise because of household bills going up this monthBusiness live – latest updatesUK inflation dropped to 2.6% in March, increasing the pressure on Bank of England policymakers to cut interest rates next month.Prices growth was weak ahead of an expected rise in April as households begin to pay higher council tax and utility bills, as well as an uncertain outlook posed by Donald Trump’s tariff war. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago The little known loophole used by second home owners to dodge soaring council tax bills in Britain's holiday hotspots

Experts fear property barons are putting their homes on the market to exploit a legal get-around that is helping them avoid new council tax premiums, with Padstow in Cornwall among the areas hit.

Economics

1 week ago 'Disastrous' private construction schemes accounting for £18.6 million of council tax in West Lothian

Angela Constance MSP fears that the Chancellor could be set to reintroduce PFI

Economics