Disabled resident living on popular holiday park in Northampton warns others of council tax mistake

The 28-year-old man, who has aspergers and wishes to remain anonymous, has warned others of a mistake which nearly cost him £1,300 per year in council tax.

The man lives on Billing Aquadrome and is not supposed to pay council tax because residents live on site for 11 months of the year, thus making it a temporary residence.

Speaking to the Chron and Echo, the man’s step-dad said: “His property had recently been banded in Band A and he has to pay council tax on it.

“I had been arguing with the council that no one pays council tax on Billing Aquadrome but they were insisting that it had been banded by the Government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

“No one else was paying it on Billing Aquadrome so why all of a sudden is he?”

It transpired that because the resident applied for housing benefits and put his Billing Aquadrome address as his permanent residence, this triggered a process where the VOA banded his property.

The man’s step-dad said: “They were charging him council tax because of this but it’s not a fixed property. He’s not even living on there anymore, they said it didn’t matter you still have to pay council tax. It’s heartless.

"He’s applying for a mortgage next year and he’s scared that if he refuses to pay the council tax it could affect his credit rating and stopping him getting a mortgage.”

A VOA spokesperson said: "We assess all properties for tax purposes based on whether their primary use is domestic or non-domestic.

“If a property is being used as a sole residence, it would be classed as domestic and liable for council tax.

“Should circumstances change, we encourage customers to let us know and we can look into their case.”

Following an investigation by this newspaper and instigating better dialogue between the resident, who has since stopped claiming housing benefits, the council and the VOA have reversed the decision.

The man’s step-dad said: “It’s all been sorted. We’d like to thank the Chron and Echo for getting involved, and we want to warn others of this.”