Rates bills to arrive in households across Mid Ulster

If there is any information on your bill which you think is incorrect, your circumstances have changed, or you have not received a bill, you are advised to contact Land and Property Services (LPS) immediately on 0300 200 7801.

An LPS spokesperson explains the importance of paying rate bills: “As of 31 March 2015, there were 59,000 rateable properties across the Mid Ulster District Council area. This money is vital for our local economy, as it is invested in public services such as healthcare, education and roads as well as helping to fund numerous council services, including recreational facilities, building control, bin collection, tourism and local events.”

For domestic ratepayers, there is a 4% discount if bills are paid in full on or before the discount date of 6 May 2016.

In April last year, online and telephone payments increased by 87% as ratepayers took advantage of these faster and easier to use services to receive their discount.

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Linda Dillon, said: “The financial pressures which the public sector faces as a whole have been well-documented and local government is no different.

“In setting the rate for this year, the Council faced substantial increases in costs, such as waste disposal and the loss of rebate on national insurance, amounting to some £2.8million of additional monies which we had to find simply to stand still.

“And we don’t wish to stand still. We want to see our district grow and develop and so, this year, we sought additional funding in several areas to allow us to continue to provide capital grants for sports clubs; to address a gap in arts-related funding; and to ensure that we are resourced to support our regional minority language policies.”

More information at www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/a-guide-to-rates or on the NIBusinessInfo website https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk