Dozens of families on a new housing estate are celebrating after their “unfair” council tax banding was downgraded - saving them hundreds of pounds a year.

A total of 68 households on the 520-home Hermitage Park estate in Maidstone will see their bills fall and be entitled to backdated refunds.

Caroline, who did not wish to give her surname, saw her two-bedroom semi-detached property in Seckel Drive reduced from a Band D to a Band C rating, saving her £262 a year in council tax.

The nurse said: “I had the notice from the valuation office last week. Naturally, I’m delighted. It’s amazing.”

Council tax bands are calculated on the value of the property on April 1, 1991 - or an estimate if it had not been built then - meaning residents in those that are worth more pay more towards services.

They go from Band A to H, with H attracting the highest rates.

However, on the Hermitage Park estate - which is still under construction - residents began to complain that they were in different bands from neighbours in similar homes.

Emily Burton, a young mum with two children aged five and two, also saw her banding reduced on her two-bedroom semi in Bartlett Drive.

She said: “It’s fantastic for us. We’ve been here since 2022, and we had just accepted the Band D rating we had been given.

“To have it reduced to C is amazing. Everything is going up - bills, childcare, so to have something come down is a tremendous help with the other costs.”

Another resident had downsized from a four-bedroom house on Braunstone Drive in Allington to a three-bedroom property on the Hermitage Park estate, only to see his council band increase.

That has now been corrected.

The revaluations happened after Palace Wood Ward councillor Stan Forecast intervened on residents’ behalf and recruited the aid of fellow Conservatives, Cllr Tom Cannon and Helen Grant MP.

Cllr Forecast said: “I was prompted by concerns raised by residents on the estate’s Facebook group regarding long-standing discrepancies in property valuations.

“My initial request for a formal review of council tax banding was refused by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

“So I garnered the support of my fellow ward councillor, Tom Cannon, and our MP, Helen Grant, and between us we were eventually able to persuade the VOA to launch an investigation into potential inconsistencies across the whole estate.”

But it has taken time - Mrs Grant first wrote to the VOA in January 2024.

Cllr Forecast said: “The VOA has finally confirmed via Maidstone council that 68 homes have now had their council tax bands reduced, meaning affected residents will not only see a decrease in their council tax bills, but will also be entitled to backdated refunds.

“The majority of changes are from Band D to Band C, saving residents £262 (excluding potential rebates) a year, while some Band E properties were reduced to Band D, saving £524 a year.”

Mrs Grant said: “This is a brilliant outcome for local families who have, for too long, been paying more than they should.

“Fairness in taxation matters, and I am proud that our efforts have resulted in tangible financial relief for dozens of residents, particularly during the tough economic climate.”

Cllr Tom Cannon said: “This will make a big difference for those residents who have been overpaying.

“We will always fight for lower taxes, and on this occasion, we found a way to deliver for a group of residents unfairly paying over the odds. This is what local politics is about. Delivering this saving for our residents makes it all worthwhile.”

However, at least one resident is still waiting for his share of the good news.

Ahmed Eid is a doctor at the nearby Maidstone Hospital. He lives in a three-bedroom detached house in Bartlett Way, with his wife and two children.

He said: “We moved in three years ago when the house was new. We were initially put in Band G, which is totally ridiculous - that’s the rate for five-bedroom homes on the estate.

“I appealed, and it was reduced to Band F, but that is still too much.

“A close neighbour’s house is Band F, but his is a four-bedroom property and he paid £650,00. Mine is a three-bedroom and cost £480,000.

“My home is a Richmond-style house by Croudace. I know of seven other Richmonds on the estate - they are in Conference Way and Blossom Close (just around the corner). They are all Band E - I am the only one that is Band F.”

Dr Eid said: “I sent the VOA all the evidence - the sales particulars from Croudace of my home and the others that are identical. I sent the measurements, and a Google Map photo showing the sizes - which I revealed that I actually have a smaller garden than the others. But nothing.

“I’m still waiting for a further reduction. It’s so disappointing.”

Dr Eid’s case was one specifically quoted in Helen Grant’s letter to the VOA, but so far the agency remains unmoved.

Dr Eid said: “I’m still hoping to hear, but I’m too busy to keep chasing this.”

Cllr Forecast said: “We are aware that some householders have not received the reduction they hoped for.

“We have asked the VOA whether they regard their review as complete, and we continue to press for a satisfactory solution so that everyone pays is charged fairly.”

Kent Online asked the VOA for an explanation of how so many homes were wrongly banded in the first place.

The agency responded saying: “We work hard to make sure that all domestic properties are banded correctly for council tax purposes.

“We have asked the VOA whether they regard their review as complete, and we continue to press for a satisfactory solution so that everyone pays is charged fairly.”

“If new information comes to light that suggests a band is wrong, we must review it and take appropriate action, which could include a band reduction.”

The councillors’ intervention has won them plaudits from the residents.

Mrs Burton said: “You hear so many bad things said about politics and politicians, so many negative things.

“But Tom and Stan have been brilliant. They have stuck with this right the way through and achieved a really positive outcome for us.”

Caroline agreed.

She said: “Stan has kept us informed at every stage of every development. He’s been brilliant. We’re all so grateful to him, Tom and Mrs Grant.”

The Hermitage Park cases follow on from other banding disputes elsewhere.

At the Empress Riverside Park, in East Farleigh, four pensioners say they have been stuck in Band B, while neighbours with the same homes are in Band A, paying £264 a year less.

Meanwhile, a 79-year-old pensioner has had his two-bed flat at Thomas Place at Springfield, Maidstone, rated Band E, despite flats nearby being in Bands C and D.

Appeals to the VOA in both cases have fallen on deaf ears.

Contrary to common belief, local councils have no role in determining council tax bandings.