How your council tax compares to everyone else

James Cheng-Morris
·Freelance news writer, Yahoo UK
Updated ·4 min read

  • In his autumn statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced measures which will mean council tax can be hiked by 5% every year

  • It means the average Band D bill in England could exceed £2,000 for the first time, with Labour labelling it a "bombshell"

  • Council tax varies according to the type of property and area you live in... and it's set to increase for most people

  • Ahead of the expected increases, read the full article below to find out which areas are currently being charged the highest and lowest amounts of council tax

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt departs Downing Street to present the Autumn Statement to the House of Commons on November 17, 2022 in London, England. The Chancellor hopes his fiscal plans will restore market confidence in the UK's economic outlook, as well as head off a cost-of-living crisis. (Photo by Rob Pinney/Getty Images)
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced new council tax measures. (Getty Images)

Nearly all local authorities in England are expected to hike council tax by 5% annually over the next five years following Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.

Previously, councils proposing tax hikes of 3% or more had to hold a referendum. The chancellor, as part of his wider attempts to get a grip on public finances, has now raised this to 5%, with the Treasury estimating 95% of local authorities will hike rates by the maximum amount.

It means the average bill for a Band D property in England could exceed £2,000 a year for the first time, something shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves labelled a “bombshell”.

Here, Yahoo News UK looks at the areas where households currently pay the highest and lowest amounts of council tax.

How much council tax do I pay compared to everyone else?

First of all, how much you pay depends on what “band”, ranging from A to H, your property is in.

In England, this is based on the value of your home - or how much it would have sold for on the open market - as of 1 April, 1991.

Bands are dictated by the Valuation Office Agency and the lower the band (A being the lowest), the lower the council tax bill.

The amount people pay then varies by their local authority area, with councils setting the rate for each band once a year and then issuing bills starting on 1 April. The bills are usually payable in 10 monthly instalments.

Band D, being in the middle of Bands A to H, is regarded as the "typical" measure when council tax is discussed.

How Band D council tax is paid across England, with the darker shades indicating a higher bill. (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)
How Band D council tax is paid across England, with the darker shades indicating a higher bill. (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)

As of the 2022/23 council tax year, Band D households in Rutland in the east Midlands had the highest bill at £2,300.03. This compares to Westminster in central London, where the bill for Band D properties was the lowest at £865.78. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the top and bottom 20 areas.)

Average council tax paid per dwelling in England. (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)
Average council tax paid per dwelling in England. (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)

When it comes to the average council tax paid per dwelling, people in Elmbridge in Surrey have the highest average bill at £2,438.98. This is influenced by how many properties are in higher bands. The lowest average bill is in Wandsworth in London: £818.93. (A list of the top and bottom 20 areas is also at the bottom of this page.)

The 20 areas with the highest council tax bills for Band D properties (per year)

Rutland: £2300.03

Nottingham: £2294.14

Dorset: £2290.2

Lewes: £2281.43

Wealden: £2252.09

Newark and Sherwood: £2251.59

West Devon: £2230.64

Bristol, City of: £2230.37

Oxford: £2225.43

Hastings: £2219.29

Gateshead: £2213.6

Pendle: £2211.42

Rother: £2210.83

Bassetlaw: £2210.09

Rushcliffe: £2205.59

County Durham: £2203.42

Eastbourne: £2199.47

Hartlepool: £2196.67

Liverpool: £2194.97

Waverley: £2188.14

The 20 areas with the lowest council tax bills for Band D properties (£)

Westminster: £865.78

Wandsworth: £872.55

City of London: £1074.57

Hammersmith and Fulham: £1227.55

Kensington and Chelsea: £1382.2

Tower Hamlets: £1519.98

Windsor and Maidenhead: £1523.44

Newham: £1532.26

Southwark: £1594.54

Hillingdon: £1658.87

Lambeth: £1660.24

Hackney: £1671.09

Isles of Scilly: £1682.56

Greenwich: £1710.25

Islington: £1710.48

Thurrock: £1735.11

Ealing: £1735.48

Bromley: £1736.72

Wigan: £1741.39

Barnet: £1746.29

The 20 areas with the highest average council tax paid per dwelling (£)

Elmbridge: £2438.98

Surrey Heath: £2304.98

Tandridge: £2290.72

Mole Valley: £2287.1

Waverley: £2274.49

Epsom and Ewell: £2217.7

Guildford: £2190.04

Reigate and Banstead: £2184.8

Wokingham: £2164.46

Rutland: £2155.91

Wealden: £2145.8

Richmond upon Thames: £2130.4

Woking: £2124.46

Sevenoaks: £2119.33

Three Rivers: £2084.02

South Oxfordshire: £2060.32

Buckinghamshire: £2058.46

St Albans: £2056.1

Hart: £2052.7

The 20 areas with the lowest average council tax paid per dwelling (£)

Wandsworth: £818.93

Westminster: £935.95

Kingston upon Hull, City of: £1007.01

Stoke-on-Trent: £1009.18

Sandwell: £1031.24

Sunderland: £1031.72

Newham: £1032.91

Manchester: £1041.65

Hackney: £1076.44

Birmingham: £1080.12

Liverpool: £1081.56

Blackpool: £1084.47

South Tyneside: £1084.54

Wigan: £1115.03

Doncaster: £1124.92

Newcastle upon Tyne: £1127.34

Knowsley: £1134.49

Hammersmith and Fulham: £1136.6

Lincoln: £1151.23

Barnsley: £1158.33