Ministers: Official Residences
The question
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2025 to Question HL9337 on Ministers: Official Residences, if he will publish the internal document which states that the sponsoring department will pay the council tax bill for the Minister.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Ministers are advised on allocation of an official residence that the responsibility for payment of council tax depends on whether the property is their primary or secondary residence. This is a long-standing policy position in place for successive administrations, reflected in a parliamentary question to the then Prime Minister the Rt Hon Sir Tony Blair as follows:
“The level and responsibility for payment of council tax is determined on whether the property is the Minister's main or secondary residence. If a main residence, the responsibility for payment of the tax falls to the Minister. If the property is a secondary residence, responsibility for payment falls to the responsible Department.”
This question is available at the following link: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo000605/text/00605w14.htm#00605w14.html_spmin0.
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