Council Tax for Private Properties

The request was refused by City of London Corporation.

George Tsigarides

Dear City of London Corporation,

We will be grateful if you would kindly confirm how many private properties are being charged for Council Tax in the City of London Corporation area.

Yours faithfully,

George Tsigarides

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

Dear George Tsigarides,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The City of London (CoL) acknowledges receipt of your request for information of 20 August 2019.

Public authorities are required to respond to requests within the statutory timescale of 20 working days beginning from the first working day after they receive a request. The Act does not always require public authorities to disclose the information which they hold.

The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and port health authority. The CoL is the local and police authority for the “Square Mile”, ie the historic City of London, and not for London as a whole. Please see the following page containing a link to a map (‘Explore the City’), which shows the local authority area covered by the CoL:
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/maps/Pag....

The CoL does have some functions, including Port Health Authority functions, which extend beyond the City boundary. For further information please see: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Information Officer
Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department
City of London
Tel: 020-7332 1243
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

show quoted sections

CityBusinessRates, City of London Corporation

Dear George Tsigarides

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

 

Following your request of 21st August 2019 and our acknowledgement, the
City of London (CoL) responds as follows. 

 

The City of London (CoL) applies the FOIA section 21 exemption,
‘Information accessible to an applicant by other means’.

 

The information that you have requested is available on the following
website:

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics...

 

Once you have accessed the Government ‘Council Taxbase 2018 in England’
webpage please scroll down to, and click on, ‘Council Tax Base Local
Authority Level Data 2018’.

 

When this page is accessed please click on the first link option on the
left-hand side of the page entitled ‘CTB Form’. A new page will open with
a ‘drop-down’ menu option at the top left of the page, please select the
‘City of London’ option to view the information that you have requested.

 

Further guidance on the section 21 exemption is published by the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)  and can be found at:

[2]https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gui...

 

If you wish to make a complaint about the way the CoL has managed your
enquiry, please use the following link to the CoL’s FOI complaints
procedure : [3]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback, at the end of which is
located the FOI complaints procedure. If, having used the CoL’s FOI
Complaints Procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the
Information Commissioner to investigate. Please contact: Information
Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Telephone: (01625) 545700.  Website: [4]http://www.ico.org.uk/.

 

The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and
port health authority. Subject to any other statutory provisions requiring
the CoL to disclose information, release of information outside the scope
of the Act is subject to the discretion of the CoL.

 

The CoL holds the copyright in this communication. Its supply does not
give a right to re-use in a way that would infringe any copyright, for
example, by making copies, publishing and issuing copies to the public or
to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the material may be
reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for
non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news
reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the copyright owner.

 

 

 

Head of Revenues

City of London Corporation

 

Chamberlain’s Department

3rd Floor North Wing, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ

 

 

 

 

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics...
2. https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gui...
3. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/

George Tsigarides

Dear CityBusinessRates,

Thank you for the link.

We note that is is regarding dwellings.

Our FOI request is about private property, and not dwellings.

We will be grateful if you would kindly confirm how many private properties paid Council Tax for the past three fiscal years.

Thank You.

Yours sincerely,

George Tsigarides

CityBusinessRates, City of London Corporation

Thank you for your email, a more detailed reply or an amended bill will be
sent to you as soon as possible.

If your communication concerns a change in liability, it may be necessary
for further information to be sought and possibly an inspection of the
premises made.

If your original email did not include the information below, please could
you provide the following additional information, including your account
number or property reference number:

1) Date that you occupied, (or ceased to occupy) the premises.

2) Date that you were given possession of the property (e.g. lease date)
or date that the property reverted to landlord.

3) Name and address of previous owner/landlord.

As soon as enquiries are completed the rating records will be amended and
an account sent or, where appropriate, a refund made, as soon as possible.

 

If you are making an application under Section 44a of the Local Government
Finance Act 1988 please apply on-line at
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business...

Email messages regarding any other requests will be dealt with as soon as
possible. However, if you are requesting an instruction form for Direct
Debit, please note that a direct debit instruction can be downloaded from
the City of London's website.

If for any reason you have difficulty downloading the form, please
telephone the number below or send a further email requesting that a form
be sent by post. Please ensure that the rate account number shown on your
latest rate bill is entered on the form.

****If you are expecting a refund of rates please ensure you provide your
bank details to us for the refund to be processed by BACS payment. This
should be on a business email address or your business headed paper****

 

City of London Business Rates Department

020 7332 1318/3051

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

CityBusinessRates, City of London Corporation

 

Thank you for your email, a more detailed reply or an amended bill will be
sent to you as soon as possible.

 

If your communication concerns a change in liability, it may be necessary
for further information to be sought and possibly an inspection of the
premises made.

If your original email did not include the information below, please could
you provide the following additional information, including your account
number or property reference number:

1) Date that you occupied, (or ceased to occupy) the premises.

2) Date that you were given possession of the property (e.g. lease date)
or date that the property reverted to landlord.

3) Name and address of previous owner/landlord.

As soon as enquiries are completed the rating records will be amended and
an account sent or, where appropriate, a refund made, as soon as possible.

 

Email messages regarding any other requests will be dealt with as soon as
possible. However, if you are requesting an instruction form for Direct
Debit, please note that a [1]direct debit instruction can be downloaded
from the City of London's website.

 

If for any reason you have difficulty downloading the form, please
telephone the number below or send a further email requesting that a form
be sent by post. Please ensure that the rate account number shown on your
latest rate bill is entered on the form.

City of London Business Rates Department

020 7332 1318/3051

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/...

Dear City of London Corporation,

When may we expect a reply to our FOI request please.

Yours faithfully,

George Tsigarides

George Tsigarides

Dear City of London Corporation,

May we please have a response to our FOI request.

Yours faithfully,

George Tsigarides

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

Dear George Tsigarides,

Thank you for your email of 17 October 2019.

We are looking into the matter you have raised and will contact you as soon as possible.

Yours Sincerely,

Information Officer
Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department
Tel: 020-7332 1243
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

show quoted sections

CityBusinessRates, City of London Corporation

1 Attachment

Dear George Tsigarides,

 

We refer to your further correspondence regarding the above FOI request.
In your correspondence you state the following

 

Thank you for the link.

 

We note that is is regarding dwellings.

 

Our FOI request is about private property, and not dwellings.

 

We will be grateful if you would kindly confirm how many private
properties paid Council Tax for the past three fiscal years.

 

 

The City of London respond as follows:

 

Private property and domestic dwellings are the same thing in the context
of paying Council Tax.

 

If you wish to make a complaint about the way the CoL has managed your 
enquiry, please use the following link to the CoL’s FOI complaints 
procedure : [3][1]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback, at the end of which
is  located the FOI complaints procedure. If, having used the CoL’s FOI 
Complaints Procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the 
Information Commissioner to investigate. Please contact: Information 
Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Telephone: (01625) 545700.  Website: [4][2]http://www.ico.org.uk/.

 

 The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and 
port health authority. Subject to any other statutory provisions
requiring  the CoL to disclose information, release of information outside
the scope  of the Act is subject to the discretion of the CoL.

 

The CoL holds the copyright in this communication. Its supply does not 
give a right to re-use in a way that would infringe any copyright, for 
example, by making copies, publishing and issuing copies to the public or 
to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the material may be 
reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs
and  Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research
for  non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news 
reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the copyright owner.

 

 

Head of Revenues

City of London Corporation

 

Chamberlain’s Department

3^rd Floor North Wing, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ

 

 

 

 

 

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/

George Tsigarides

Dear City of London Corporation,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of City of London Corporation's handling of my FOI request 'Council Tax for Private Properties'.

Kindly confirm which section of the Act states that private property is the same as a domestic dwelling.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Yours faithfully,

George Tsigarides

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

1 Attachment

Dear George Tsigarides,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

 

The City of London (CoL) acknowledges receipt of your request for
information of 18 October 2019, as highlighted below..

 

We have noted that you have also made a request for an internal review of
a previous FOI response, this will be responded to separately.

 

Public authorities are required to respond to requests within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days beginning from the first working
day after they receive a request. The Act does not always require public
authorities to disclose the information which they hold.

 

The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and
port health authority. The CoL is the local and police authority for the
“Square Mile”, ie the historic City of London, and not for London as a
whole. Please see the following page containing a link to a map (‘Explore
the City’), which shows the local authority area covered by the CoL:

[1]https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/maps/Pag....

 

The CoL does have some functions, including Port Health Authority
functions, which extend beyond the City boundary. For further information
please see: [2]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Officer

Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department

City of London

Tel: 020-7332 1243

[3]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

 

show quoted sections

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

1 Attachment

Dear George Tsigarides,

 

The City of London (CoL) acknowledges receipt of your complaint of 18
October 2019, highlighted below.

 

We have noted that you have also made a new FOI request, which will be
responded to separately.

 

In accordance with guidance published by the Information Commissioner’s
Office, the CoL aims to respond to complaints within 20 working days
beginning from the first working day following receipt of the complaint.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Officer

Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department

City of London

Tel: 020-7332 1243

[1]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

 

show quoted sections

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

Dear George Tsigarides,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) - INFORMATION REQUEST – INTERNAL
REVIEW

 

Following your complaint of 18 October 2019, which we acknowledged on the
same day, in relation to the City of London’s (CoL) response to your FOIA
request of 20 August 2019, the CoL responds as follows.

 

Having reviewed the CoL’s response to your request of the 20 August, for
information in regard to private properties that are being charge Council
Tax in the City of London area. I consider that the CoL was correct to
apply a section 21 exemption (information is available by other means) to
this information. As a result, your complaint is not upheld.

 

The CoL considers that the information provided to you in regards to the
government website where this information is held and then the further
advice and assistance that was also provided, in accordance with section
16 of the FOIA 2000, in explaining how to find the information you
requested, was the appropriate course of action. The data that was
contained on the government website originated from COL’s Council Tax
database

 

Furthermore, if the information is considered available by other means, as
in this instance, we note that the FOI 2000 does not require a local
authority to download and provide a copy for you.

Regarding, your follow up comments, as initially received on the 21 August
2019 where you considered that private properties and dwellings are two
separate entities. We partially uphold the complaint in respect of the
length of time that it took for the CoL to provide a further response.

 

As stated in our email of the 18 October 2019, for the purposes of Council
Tax, domestic property is defined in the Local Government Finance Act 1988
Section 66 and in the Local Government Finance Act 1992. In Section 4 of
Local Government Finance Act 1992, the act provides that council tax is
payable on “chargeable dwellings”. Therefore, without a clear definition
within your request, private properties and dwellings are considered as
the same thing. CoL considered that the initial response as sent on the 21
August 2019 and referred to above is accurate.

 

However, if you consider that the definition of the word private is
different to the one, we have applied here, please let us know and we will
review this further as a new FOI request.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you may request the Information
Commissioner to investigate. The Information Commissioner is a Crown
appointment, responsible for monitoring compliance with the FOIA. Please
contact: Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: (01625) 545700. Website: [1]www.ico.org.uk.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Information Officer

Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department

City of London

Tel: 020-7332 1243

[2]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

 

 

 

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/

George Tsigarides

Dear COL-EB-InformationOfficer,

Is not what you have referenced about dwelling?

Are you stating that dwellings are the same as private property?

Yours sincerely,

George Tsigarides

COL-EB-InformationOfficer, City of London Corporation

Dear George Tsigaridies,

Thank you for your email and additional comments as received on the 29 October 2019.

As stated in our response to your internal review request. The City of London can confirm that we consider ‘private properties and dwellings to be the same thing’ in the context of your request as made on the 20 August 2019.

If you were requesting information, solely in regard to private properties or dwellings separately or consider that there is another definition that can be applied. Please let us know and we will log these as new requests.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, as made in regards to the internal review, you may request the Information Commissioner to investigate. The Information Commissioner is a Crown appointment, responsible for monitoring compliance with the FOIA. Please contact: Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: (01625) 545700. Website: [1]www.ico.org.uk.

Yours sincerely

Information Officer
Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department
City of London
Tel: 020-7332 1243
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

show quoted sections

CityBusinessRates, City of London Corporation

1 Attachment

Dear George Tsigarides,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

 

As previously advised, for the purposes of Council  Tax, domestic property
is defined in the Local Government Finance Act 1988  Section 66 and in the
Local Government Finance Act 1992. In Section 4 of  Local Government
Finance Act 1992, the act provides that council tax is  payable on
“chargeable dwellings”.

 

If you wish to make a complaint about the way the CoL has managed your
enquiry under the FOIA, please make your complaint in writing to email
address: [1][email address]. For a link to the CoL’s FOI
complaints procedure, please visit the following page:
[2]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback, at the end of which is located the
FOI complaints procedure. If, having used the CoL’s FOI Complaints
Procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the Information
Commissioner to investigate. Please contact: Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: (01625)
545700. Website: [3]http://www.ico.org.uk/

The FOIA applies to the City of London as a local authority, police
authority and port health authority.

The City of London holds the copyright in this email. The supply of it
does not give a right to re-use it in a way that would infringe that
copyright, for example, by making copies, publishing and issuing copies to
the public or to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the material
may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of
research for non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and
news reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the copyright owner.

 

Head of Revenues

City of London Corporation

 

Chamberlain’s Department

3^rd Floor North Wing, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ

 

 

THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with the
City of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by agreement,
letter or facsimile signed by a City of London authorised signatory. Any
part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not authorised
by the City of London. All e-mail through the City of London's gateway is
potentially the subject of monitoring. All liability for errors and
viruses is excluded. Please note that in so far as the City of London
falls within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, it may need to disclose this
e-mail. Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://corpoflondon-my.sharepoint.com/p...
3. http://www.ico.org.uk/