Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill

moved Amendment No. 5:"Page 1, line 12, leave out subsection (4)." The noble Lord said: This amendment removes subsection (4) from the Bill which removes the requirement for subsequent revaluation in England on the 10th anniversary of the previous one. It does, however, retain such a provision for billing authorities in Wales, thereby separating the treatment of Wales and England. It is this aspect that we are worried about, and this amendment addresses that. Many people felt that the recent revaluation in Wales was a disaster. Indeed, I cannot help but think that part of the reason for the postponement of the English revaluation and the rationale behind this very Bill was that Ministers in Westminster saw what was happening in Wales and were frightened of the same happening on this side of Offa’s Dyke. One in every three homeowners in Wales is now paying a higher level of council tax this year after the revaluation of homes: 55,000 Welsh homes—4.2 per cent of the total—went up two bands under the revaluation. Another 6,600 properties rose by three bands and 1,600 properties rose by four or more bands. In total, 33 per cent of homes went up one band or more, and only 8 per cent moved down. As we have heard today, at the time of revaluation, Labour Ministers in the National Assembly for Wales said that there would be as many winners as losers and that the process would be revenue neutral. Indeed, the phrase ““revenue neutral”” appears quite a lot in the Government’s assurances that any revaluation will not cost the council taxpayer any more. The noble Lord, Lord Bassam, said at Second Reading:"““The Government are committed to revaluation in England being revenue-neutral. I made that point at the outset; and that is the situation. That is our intention and our desire””.—[Official Report, 9/1/06; col. 46.]" However, it does not seem that the process was terribly revenue-neutral in the Welsh revaluation last year. Indeed, the increase in council tax has been even greater in Wales than in England. Since 1997, under the Labour Government, band D council tax in Wales has risen by 86 per cent, or £425. Revaluation was seen in Wales as nothing more than yet another government attempt at a stealth tax, which has hit people in every community. Therefore, action must be taken to protect the Welsh homeowner from any more excessive increases. The amendment would remove the necessity for revaluation in Wales once every 10 years. It is very similar to some of the other amendments. I beg to move.