Why does Fareham Borough Council collect the Council Tax for HCC, HPA, HFA?
Government legislation sets out the framework for collecting Council Tax. The way it operates in the Fareham area is that the County Council and the Police and Fire Authorities advise Fareham BC what their proportion of the Council Tax bill needs to be. Fareham brings them all together and raises a single bill to the household. Then, Fareham pay over a fixed amount to the other Authorities on a regular basis. Any difference between the amount collected and the amount paid over to each Authority is held as a surplus or deficit in a separate account (called the Collection Fund). If the Collection Fund has a surplus, then this can be used to reduce the Council Tax in the following year. Similarly, any shortfall needs to be recovered through the coming years bills. While paying all the Council Tax to Fareham Borough Council sometimes makes it difficult to see how much of the bill relates to the services provided by the 3 other Authorities, it is the most economical and trouble-free way met
