Most councils in England are planning to hike council tax bills by the maximum amount next month.
Analysis by The Mirror of local authority budgets found the vast majority were planning to increase bills by 4.99% on April 1 – the highest allowed without a referendum – as they struggle to balance the books.
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But six councils were given the green light by the government to raise council tax above the legal threshold of 4.99% – without needing to hold a local referendum. They include Birmingham, Bradford, Newham, Somerset, Trafford and Windsor & Maidenhead.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said last month the move was vital to protect cash-strapped councils facing “significant financial difficulty” after 14 years of Tory rule.
Scroll down to use our interactive council tax calculator – and for explanation on what it means and how to find your band.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “We are under no illusion about the scale of financial issues facing councils we inherited and our work is underway to fix the foundations and bring long-term stability to the sector.
“And while councils are ultimately responsible for setting their own council tax levels, we have been clear that they should put taxpayers first and carefully consider the impact of their decisions. That’s why we are maintaining a referendum threshold on council tax rises, so taxpayers can have the final say and be protected from excessive increases.”
Enter your postcode and select your council tax band in our searchable widget below to see the projected rise in your area from 1 April 2025.
Houses are ‘banded’ from Band A to Band H depending on how valuable they are (based on the price they would have sold for on April 1 1991). A formula is then applied to the Band D rate to determine how much you pay.
Band D is intended to represent the average home, but in some areas – such as poorer parts of the north of England – the majority of homes are actually in Band A. So some councils dispute the idea that a Band D home is ‘average’ because most people are in the cheapest bracket. The Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) has been leading calls for reform, as it says northern homeowners are being slapped with higher tax bills. You can find out your Council Tax band here or check last year’s bill.
Council tax is split into “precepts”, imposed by different authorities, and they all rise at different rates. These cover services provided in your area such as fire and police, as well as social care.
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We have calculated our figures using the rise in by far the biggest section of your bill – your social care authority. This is either your County, Metropolitan Borough, London Borough or Unitary council, depending on where you live. The figures are taken from documents provided by these councils.
Several groups of people are able to get a discount on their council tax – or not pay it at all.
They include:
But if you live in a mixed household then you may still have to pay the full rate. You can check if you are eligible here.
The data was sourced from official council documents. However, the figures can be subject to change, so if you believe your area’s figures need to be updated, please email [email protected] and [email protected] with the subject line ‘Council Tax’.
Search tool created by DAVID DUBAS-FISHER of the REACH DATA UNIT
