Historic Council Tax charges on property
Response received 5 October 2026
As a FOI request please redact and send me information on how much the council has charged previous owners for the years the property was unoccupied and falling into major disrepair before we decided to invest. Has the council been aware that the multiple road and track works by media companies and Network Rail in previous years destroyed soakaways in the road connecting all the properties' septic tanks by the street side to the overflow? Was permission to damage and leave them in such state given by the council? If not, has the council been overseeing the quality of the work carried out in and beneath the road and adjoining ditch in the past that led to original conduits being damaged?
Responded on 20 October 2026
Legislation in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 was introduced meaning that councils could charge a premium for properties defined as second homes from 01 April 2025. East Cambridgeshire District Council introduced this charge from 01 April 2026. Under the legislation second homes are defined as furnished properties which are not anyone's sole or main residence. This property falls within this definition.
Second homes that are used as holiday lets and meet defined criteria can be registered for non-domestic rates (NNDR) instead of council tax. The information regarding this has previously been sent to you. Please contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) if you meet the criteria. The VOA deals with all council tax and NNDR property listings.
Annual council tax charges for properties in East Cambridgeshire can be found in the following
links:
Regarding roads and track works: this falls under the remit of Cambridgeshire County Council,
please contact them at: foi@cambridgeshire.gov.uk