{"id":14918,"date":"2025-09-01T05:17:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/?p=14918"},"modified":"2025-09-01T05:17:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:17:38","slug":"council-tax-bills-rising-how-to-lower-your-payments-which-money-podcast-explains-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/?p=14918","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Council Tax Bills Rising? How to Lower Your Payments \u2013 Which? Money Podcast Explains&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/?p=14915\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6666-6-1-3-768x960-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-14872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6666-6-1-3-768x960-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6666-6-1-3-768x960-1-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Why Is Your Council Tax Bill Increasing?<br \/>\nCouncil tax bills across the UK have jumped this year, with average increases of 5% in England\u2014and even higher rises in Scotland and Wales. If you\u2019ve noticed a spike in your bill, you\u2019re not alone. But what\u2019s driving these hikes, and how can you lower your council tax payments?<\/p>\n<p>In the latest episode of the Which? Money Podcast, host Lucia Ariano speaks with:<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Jenkin, Which? finance expert<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Johns, Senior Research Fellow at the IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research)<\/p>\n<p>They break down the reasons behind soaring council tax rates and share practical tips to reduce your bill.<\/p>\n<p>Key Reasons for Rising Council Tax Bills<br \/>\nIncreased Local Authority Spending \u2013 Councils face higher costs for social care, waste management, and public services.<\/p>\n<p>Government Funding Cuts \u2013 Many local authorities rely more on council tax due to reduced central funding.<\/p>\n<p>Inflation &#038; Economic Pressures \u2013 Rising operational costs mean councils pass expenses onto residents.<\/p>\n<p>How to Reduce Your Council Tax Bill<br \/>\nIf you\u2019re struggling with higher payments, consider these money-saving tips:<br \/>\n\u2714 Check Your Council Tax Band \u2013 Thousands of homes are in the wrong band. Use the Which? council tax checker to see if you\u2019re overpaying.<br \/>\n\u2714 Apply for Discounts or Exemptions \u2013 Students, single occupants, and low-income households may qualify.<br \/>\n\u2714 Challenge Unfair Charges \u2013 If you believe your bill is incorrect, you can appeal.<br \/>\n\u2714 Spread Payments Over 12 Months \u2013 Some councils allow this, easing monthly budgeting.<\/p>\n<p>What Is the Which? Money Podcast?<br \/>\nThe Which? Money Podcast delivers weekly financial advice to help you:<\/p>\n<p>Cut household bills (energy, broadband, insurance)<\/p>\n<p>Save on everyday costs (food, transport, subscriptions)<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed on money-saving laws &#038; policies<\/p>\n<p>New episodes drop every Friday, available on:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Is Your Council Tax Bill Increasing? Council tax bills across the UK have jumped this year, with average increases &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_keywords":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14918"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14919,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14918\/revisions\/14919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotayamedia.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}