Council tax to soar in April - see how much bills will rise in your area
Almost every council in England is planning to hike council tax bills by the maximum amount in April, in fresh misery for cash-strapped households.
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. It means people living in Band D properties face an average hike of £103 to their annual bill, which has already been pushed above £2,000 in many areas.
Of 151 social care authorities, we found that only 11 (7%) are not proposing the maximum increase. Crisis-hit Birmingham City Council and Thurrock Council are among those given special permission by the Government to impose bigger hikes - of 9.99% and 7.99% respectively. Some councils are imposing 4.99% rises but will protect some residents, such as Tower Hamlets Council in London, where households with an income below £49,500 will be shielded.
Scroll down to use our interactive council tax calculator - and for explanation on what it means and how to find your band.
Many councils have been forced to make cuts to vital services such as social care, libraries and bin collections after more than a decade of Tory squeezes to their funding. Sam Corcoran, Vice-Chair of the County Councils Network, warned that extreme financial pressures left local authorities in an impossible position.
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Cllr Corcoran, Labour leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "No council leader takes the decision to raise council tax lightly as we know this will add to the cost-of-living for residents, but councils have had little choice but to put up council tax due to the increased demands, particularly in children’s services.”
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “We recognise councils are facing challenges and that is why we recently announced an additional £600 million support package for councils across England, increasing their overall funding for the upcoming financial year to £64.7 billion – a 7.5% increase in cash terms.
“Councils are responsible for their own finances and set council tax levels, but we have been clear they should be mindful of cost-of-living pressures. We continue to protect taxpayers from excessive council tax increases through referendum principles.”
How much will my Council Tax go up this year?
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 2024.
How do I know what my Council Tax band is?
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.
What our search tool includes
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.
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.
What our search tool does NOT include
Our search tool does not include the rise in the precept for parish councils, smaller district councils (if you’re in a county council area), fire authorities, or police authorities outside London. Our final prediction of your council tax does include the precepts themselves - but only at last year's rates, without the rise expected in April.
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The reason we’ve left these extra rises out is because there are so many, it becomes extremely complex to include them in our search tool. However, these precepts are quite small - so the extra rise to all of them, on top of what our search tool says, is usually less than £20 a year for a Band D home.
Our figures also only apply to the council system in England, not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Do I get a council tax discount?
Several groups of people are able to get a discount on their council tax - or not pay it at all.
They include:
- Full-time students (100% off)
- Armed Forces in Forces accommodation (100% off)
- People who have moved into a care home or hospital (100% off)
- People who live alone (25% off)
- Apprentices, student nurses, monks and nuns, carers (up to 50% off)
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.
I'm a council officer or councillor and have a query about the figures
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] with the subject line 'Council Tax'.
Search tool created by CARLOS NÓVOA and DAVID DUBAS-FISHER of the REACH DATA UNIT
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