Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Council Tax Calculator: How much will bills rise in my area?

Households across England are set to be hit by a 5 per cent average number council tax rise

Jabed Ahmed
Wednesday 03 April 2024 22:57 BST
Comments
A council tax bill (Joe Giddens/PA)
A council tax bill (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The average annual council tax bill will rise by £106 this year as local authorities look to protect frontline services.

The bill for an average Band D property will increase by five per cent to £2,171, with all 153 upper-tier councils applying some or all of the social care precept of two per cent, statistics released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show.

This means the overall council requirement in England is £41.2 billion - an increase of £2.5 billion on 2023/24 - while average annual bills have risen by 20 per cent since 2020/21.

Use the interactive calculator below to see the projected council tax rise in your area from 1 April 2024.

Type your postcode into the calculator to see how much your local authority charges for each council tax band.

What is my council tax band?

Properties in England are split into eight bands (A-H), depending on the price they would have sold for in April 1991. This is when valuations for the current system were made.

Scottish properties are also split into eight bands, but the ranges are different.

There are nine valuation bands, labelled A-I, for Wales. Properties in Wales were revalued in 2003.

You can find out your council tax band here or check your latest bill.

How does my council tax compare to others?

In London the average annual bill for a Band D property will be £1,422, an increase of five per cent on 2023/24.

Metropolitan districts outside London will see an average annual increase of 5.4 per cent to £1,837, while bills in unitary counties with no districts will rise five per cent to £1,886.

Meanwhile, the average bill in other county areas will increase by 5 per cent to £1,643, with districts in these areas adding an additional £266.

Councils have warned they face difficult trade-offs due to a prolonged funding squeeze across local government, despite a recent boost of available funding by £600 million.

Annual council tax increases remained below one per cent between 2010 and 2015, but rose to five per cent for the first time in 2018/19.

Upper-tier councils currently cannot raise council tax above 4.99 per cent, including the social care precept, without gaining approval from a local referendum.

Parish precepts in 2024/25 will total £783 million, which is £75 million higher than in 2023/24.

Some councils in severe financial difficulties have been granted permission by the government to increase council tax beyond the 4.99 per cent threshold.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in