2017/2018 Council Tax
20th February 2017

From 1 April 2017 the Scottish Government is changing the basis on which properties are assessed for Council Tax and this will increase the charge for Council Tax properties that are banded E to H.
The Highland Council has no discretion in this matter and must apply these increases to the Council Tax charges from 1 April 2017. Households living in properties in Bands A-D are not affected by these increases.
Further information on the Council Tax increases by the Scottish Government can be found on their website at:
• www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/counciltax
To check what band your property falls under visit the Assessor's web site at:
• www.saa.gov.uk/
Queries relating to Council Tax Bands must be made to the Assessor by emailing assessor@highland.gov.uk or by phoning 01463 703311.
In addition to the increase in Council Tax set by the Scottish Government on properties falling within Bands E to H, The Highland Council has been given the flexibility to increase Council Tax on all properties, Bands A to H, by up to 3% from 1 April 2017. Council Tax legislation, set by the Scottish Government, determines any increase must be applied to all Bands in A to H.
At the meeting of the Highland Council on 16 February 2017 it was agreed to increase Council Tax on all properties by 3% from 1 April 2017.
Council Tax for 2017/2018 can be found at: www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/download/525/council_tax_rates.
Scottish Water and Waste Water Service charges are also shown and these charges are set by Scottish Water.
A comparison of Council Tax Charges between 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 can also be found at www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/download/525/council_tax_rates
If households would like support with their personal budgeting they should contact the Council's Welfare Support Team at welfare.support@highland.gov.uk or by phoning 0800 0901004. This support includes checking and claiming your entitlement to all benefits.
Alternatively households may wish to contact their local Citizens Advice Bureau which provides a service on behalf of the Council to help individuals and households manage debts.
Financial assistance is available for those on low incomes to reduce their Council Tax bills. This is called Council Tax Reduction. A leaflet providing details of this relief can be found at www.highland.gov.uk/counciltax
Households already in receipt of Council Tax Reduction will have their entitlement automatically recalculated.
Households can check whether they are eligible for assistance by completing the Highland Council’s innovative ‘Apply Once’ online application form at www.highland.gov.uk/applyonce
This form will also automatically identify any other entitlements that are administered by the Council based on the individual’s circumstances. Households supply their details only once and the Council will put into payment all entitlements that are legitimately available to them.
The 82,000 households who are currently paying their Council Tax by Direct Debit do not need to cancel or change their existing payment amount as this will be updated automatically from 1 April 2017. Households who wish to set up a Direct Debit for payment of their Council Tax can do so at www.highland.gov.uk/counciltax.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
A further £20 million will speed up actions to make Scotland's buildings safe from dangerous cladding, Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan has announced. Publishing an update to the Cladding Remediation Programme action plan, Ms McAllan confirmed additional funding and expanded eligibility, setting out that social housing will now be eligible for remediation funding.
Caledonia North Offshore Wind Farm - construction and operation of an offshore wind farm comprising up to 77 turbines with a maximum blade tip height of 355m, subsea interconnector and export cabling and associated infrastructure. The north planning committee of Highland council will decide today 6 August 2025.
Following the high winds forecast and experienced due to Storm Floris, The Highland Council is encouraging landowners to check trees and vegetation near to public roads which may have been damaged. Landowners are also asked to check the drainage from their property that it is not blocked and overflowing onto public roads.
Representatives from across the Highlands are being invited to a meeting that will focus on the current provision and future of Community Transport. The event, organised and hosted by The Highland Council, will take place at Council HQ in Inverness on Wednesday 13 August.
Young people in the Highlands can call a dedicated helpline offering expert advice to anyone receiving their full Higher, National, and Advanced results on Tuesday, 5 August 2025. The pupils and students- along with their parents and carers - will be able to get support with their results through Skills Development Scotland's (SDS) Results Helpline, which opens from 8am on results day.
Wick Business Park has welcomed wind energy technology company ENERCON as the first occupant of one of four new units completed last year. ENERCON specialises in designing, producing, installing and servicing onshore wind turbines and has been operating in the Caithness area since 2013.
Additional empty homes officers are being recruited to bring more privately owned houses back into use. The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26 which will see staff take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues.
The Highland Strategic Local Action Group (LAG) met in June 2025 and considered and agreed funding for 28 projects submitted to the Community-Led Local Development fund (CLLD), which makes up part of The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) programme. CRF is an umbrella term used to cover multiple external funding programmes administered by The Highland Council.
Highland Council has provided 12 ‘Talking Tub' resources for use in primary schools across the Highlands, in partnership with Union Technical who deliver community benefits as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme programme. Chair of Highland Council's Education Committee, Councillor John Finlayson, said: "This is a fantastic initiative being rolled out across Highland primary schools which brings innovation and inspiration to early years children.
Visitors will find it easier to dispose of their litter at several popular spots across Highland after the rollout of additional bins. The rollout has been planned to support the tourism season as part of the Council's ongoing commitment to improve and support sustainable tourism in the area.