Millions of households will see their council tax soar from April, with six areas allowed to exceed the 4.99 per cent cap without triggering a local vote or referendum
Council tax is slated to skyrocket for millions, in yet another blow to cash-strapped Brits. The compulsory fee, which is controversially based on the price your property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991 in England – or 2003 for Wales – is used to fund services such as rubbish collection, roads, and street lighting.
For 2025-2026, the government is increasing the amount it gives to councils. And yet, the Local Government Association warns further cuts to crumbling services can’t be ruled out. Councils in England that have a responsibility for delivering social care can up council tax every year by up to 4.99 per cent: anything over that would trigger a referendum or local vote. Smaller councils without these duties are only permitted to increase the fee by 2.99 per cent each year. However, this year, the government has given six areas the green light to exceed to cap.
Bradford Council will be allowed to increase its charge by a staggering 10 per cent. This means those currently on band A (the most frequent in England) will see their annual costs jump £135 from £1,353.75 to £1,489.125 – while those on band D will be billed an extra £203.
Band H, the highest possible category, would increase an eye-watering £406 to around £4,470). However, this only applies to houses worth more than £320,000 on 1 April 1991. Newham and Windsor and Maidenhead have both been granted permission to enact a nine per cent rise, while Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford can put bills up by 7.5 per cent.
How much will council tax increase in your area?
The below lists have been compiled by the PA news agency based on government figures available as of February 18. The data covers only the 153 top-tier local authorities in England and does not include lower-tier district councils.
County councils:
- Cambridgeshire (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed’
- Derbyshire (East Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Devon (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- East Sussex (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Essex (Eastern England): 3.75% confirmed
- Gloucestershire (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Hampshire (SE England): 4.995% confirmed
- Hertfordshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Kent (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Lancashire (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leicestershire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Lincolnshire (East Midlands): 2.99% proposed
- Norfolk (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Nottinghamshire (East Midlands): 4.84% proposed
- Oxfordshire (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Staffordshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Suffolk (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed
- Surrey (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Warwickshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- West Sussex (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Worcestershire (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
London:
- Barking & Dagenham: 4.99% proposed
- Barnet: 4.98% proposed
- Bexley: tbc
- Brent: 4.99% proposed
- Bromley: tbc
- Camden: tbc
- City of London: tbc
- Croydon: 4.99% proposed
- Ealing: 4.99% proposed
- Enfield: 4.99% proposed
- Greenwich: 4.99% proposed
- Hackney: tbc
- Hammersmith & Fulham: 4.99% proposed
- Haringey: 4.99% proposed
- Harrow: 4.99% proposed
- Havering: 4.99% proposed
- Hillingdon: 4.99% proposed
- Hounslow: 4.99% proposed
- Islington: 4.99% proposed
- Kensington & Chelsea: 4.00% proposed
- Kingston-upon-Thames: 4.99% proposed
- Lambeth: 4.99% proposed
- Lewisham: 4.99% proposed
- Merton: 4.99% proposed
- Newham: 8.99% proposed
- Redbridge: tbc
- Richmond-upon-Thames: 4.99% proposed
- Southwark: 4.99% proposed
- Sutton: 4.99% proposed
- Tower Hamlets: 4.99% proposed
- Waltham Forest: 4.99% proposed
- Wandsworth: 2.00% proposed
- Westminster: 4.99% proposed
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Metropolitan boroughs:
- Barnsley (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.90% proposed
- Birmingham (West Midlands): 7.49% proposed
- Bolton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bradford (Yorkshire/Humber): 9.99% proposed
- Bury (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Calderdale (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Coventry (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Doncaster (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.99% proposed
- Dudley (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Gateshead (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Kirklees (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Knowsley (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leeds (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Liverpool (NW England): tbc
- Manchester (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- North Tyneside (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Oldham (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Rochdale (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Rotherham (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.00% proposed
- Salford (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sandwell (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Sefton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sheffield (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Solihull (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- South Tyneside (NE England): 4.95% proposed
- St Helens (NW England): tbc
- Stockport (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sunderland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Tameside (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Trafford (NW England): 7.49% proposed
- Wakefield (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Walsall (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Wigan (NW England): tbc
- Wirral (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Wolverhampton (West Midlands): tbc
Unitary authorities:
- Bath & North East Somerset (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bedford (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed
- Blackburn with Darwen (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Blackpool (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bracknell Forest (SE England): tbc
- Brighton & Hove (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Bristol (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Buckinghamshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Central Bedfordshire (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Cheshire East (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cheshire West and Chester (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cornwall (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cumberland (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Darlington (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Derby (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Dorset (SW England): 4.99% confirmed
- Durham (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% confirmed
- Halton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Hartlepool (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Herefordshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Hull (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Isle of Wight (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Isles of Scilly (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leicester (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Luton (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Medway (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Middlesbrough (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Milton Keynes (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.98% proposed
- North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber): tbc
- North Northamptonshire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- North Somerset (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- North Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% confirmed
- Northumberland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Nottingham (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Peterborough (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Plymouth (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Portsmouth (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Reading (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Redcar & Cleveland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Rutland (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Shropshire (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Slough (SE England): tbc
- Somerset (SW England): 7.50% proposed
- South Gloucestershire (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Southampton (SE England): tbc
- Southend-on-Sea (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Stockton-on-Tees (NE England): 4.95% proposed
- Stoke-on-Trent (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Swindon (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Telford & Wrekin (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Thurrock (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Torbay (SW England): 4.75% proposed
- Warrington (NW England): 4.98% proposed
- West Berkshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- West Northamptonshire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Westmorland & Furness (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Wiltshire (SW England): 4.50% proposed
- Windsor & Maidenhead (SE England): 8.99% proposed
- Wokingham (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- York (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
Is it time the council tax banding was changed? Have your say in the comments section below
