HUNDREDS of householders are facing a rise in their council tax bills after their homes were wrongly valued 15 years ago.
The blunder led to more than 500 homes in Musselburgh and Prestonpans being placed in the wrong council tax band in 1993.
The mistake, which was recently uncovered by the Lothians Joint Valuation Board, means annual council tax bills will rise by
around £160 from next month for those affected.
Twenty-nine homes put into a higher band by mistake will receive a refund of up to £2000.
Those who are paying more, however, will not have their payments backdated to 1993 and will only pay the increased rate from this year.
The error means East Lothian Council has missed out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue during the past 15-year period.
Joan Hewton, assessor for the valuation board, said they had re-valued the homes after a number of people had appealed against their council tax valuation, complaining that neighbours living in similar houses were paying less tax.
She said: "We looked into the various bands and discovered there were inconsistencies. We looked at sales evidence and arrived at what we considered appropriate bands based on their values in 1991.
"There are always houses which fall between one band and another and it doesn't take much to put them in a different band."
More than 300 households in Musselburgh and 200 in Prestonpans will have to pay more tax.
It is understood a few houses are affected in a large number of streets across the two towns. The errors could have arisen because of slight differences in the size or number of rooms of houses in the same streets.
The news has angered many people in the local community.
James Yule, chairman of Prestonpans Community Council, said the elderly and people on low incomes could be hit hard by the rise.
He said: "I think someone should've realised this earlier.
"The last thing that people want is having to pay more money, especially in the current economic climate.
"This is going to be a real shock for people. I feel sorry for those who are affected. We need to look at what help is available for them."
Councillor David Berry, leader of East Lothian Council, said: "A letter will be sent by the assessor at the end of this month giving details about the reason for the change.
"We would recommend that people wait until they have this letter confirming any changes before contacting the Lothian Valuation Joint Board.
"Anyone who is currently receiving council tax benefit will have their benefit increased appropriately."
The full article contains 449 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
