London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 10, 2026

Council tax: Millions facing 5% increases from April

Council tax: Millions facing 5% increases from April

Millions of households are facing an increase in their council tax from April, as local authorities try to balance their books.

Research by the County Councils Network (CCN) suggests three-quarters of English councils with social care duties are planning a 5% hike.

This is the maximum allowed without a local vote, and would add £100 a year to bills for average Band D properties.

The government said councils should consider money pressure on residents.

It said the amount local authorities will be able to spend next year was set to rise by £5.1bn, representing an average 9% rise for local authorities.

But council leaders say they have "little choice" but to raise tax in order to protect services, despite the rising cost of living for residents.

The CCN has analysed the budget plans of 114 out of the 152 councils in England with responsibility for social care that have published details so far.

It found 113 are planning to increase council tax, with 84 proposing a 5% rise from April and just one - Central Bedfordshire - keeping tax at its current rate.

The remaining 38 councils have yet to set out their plans. Three councils - Croydon, Thurrock and Slough - have special permission to increase tax above 5%, after effectively declaring bankruptcy.

Local authorities with social care duties will be able to raise council tax by up to 5% from April without consulting local residents, following an announcement at November's autumn statement.

One authority planning to increase by the full amount, Hampshire County Council, said even with the hike it would still need to dip into its reserves to fill a financial deficit next year.

The average council tax for a Band D property in England for 2022/23 was £1,966. A 5% rise would add £98 a year to bills for an average property from April, although the amount will vary across England depending on location.

Some council leaders say the council tax system is unfair, as it raises different amounts in different parts of the country. It is currently subject to a review by Levelling Up Minister Lee Rowley.

Libraries are also funded by local councils

Ministers say the amount available to councils next year is set to increase to almost £60bn, representing an average rise of 9.4%.

The Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, says this figure assumes all councils will raise council tax by the maximum amount.

It has also expressed concern that a "significant proportion" of the increase is made up of one-off grants, ring-fenced funding, and some re-allocation of existing funding.

Sam Corcoran, the Labour leader of Cheshire East Council and CCN's vice-chairman, said rising inflation and demand for social care services meant councils were setting their budgets in "the most difficult circumstances in decades".

He added that despite pressures on residents, authorities had "little choice" but to put up council tax, with the alternative "drastic cuts to frontline services" given the financial pressures on councils.

The Levelling Up Department, which oversees council funding in England, said its increases to council funding would also see deprived areas getting more per household.

"Our approach to council tax balances the need to deliver vital services while protecting residents from excessive increases," a spokesperson added.

"We expect local authorities to take into consideration the challenges many households are facing."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
French Authorities Report Channel Interventions as Cross-Border Migration Dispute Continues
Home Office Admits Error in Settled Status Case Involving Long-Term Italian Resident
Unite Calls for Independent Review of UK Budget Watchdog's Fiscal Forecasting Rules
Thinktank Calls for £175 Annual Energy Bill Cut for Low-Income Households
Foreign-Linked Social Media Accounts Amplified Recent Unrest in Belfast and Southampton, Analysis Finds
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Orders Westminster to Drop Proposed Soho and West End Hospitality Ban
Royal Navy Deployments to Monitor Russian Activity in UK Waters Rise 25 Percent
UK Economy Expected to Grow 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter Despite Geopolitical Pressures
Andy Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Measures Targeting Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
×