Council tax bands by council in England and Wales
Every band for all 296 billing authorities in England (A to H, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s 2026/27 council tax levels release) and all 22 in Wales (A to I, from the Welsh Government’s StatsWales). Pick your council to see each band’s charge, what a one-band drop would save, and whether your band is worth checking.
£2,391.52
Average Band D council tax in England for 2026/27, including adult social care and parish precepts.
Source: MHCLG, council tax levels 2026/27, Table 10
£1,736.81
The gap between the cheapest and dearest Band D in England: Wandsworth £1,028.21, Dorset £2,765.02.
Source: MHCLG, council tax levels 2026/27, Table 10
£2,283.08
Average Band D council tax in Wales for 2026/27, including police and community council elements.
Source: Welsh Government, StatsWales, council tax levels 2026/27
27%
of resolved band challenges ended in a lower band in 2023-24. Under 1% ended in a higher one.
Source: VOA, Council Tax challenges and changes 2023-24 (published March 2024)
England: 1991 values, eight bands. Wales: 2003 values, nine.
The Valuation Office Agency put every home in England into a band according to what it would have sold for on 1 April 1991 (gov.uk/council-tax-bands). Band A covers homes worth up to £40,000 then; Band H starts above £320,000. Each council sets its own Band D charge and the other bands follow ratios fixed by the Local Government Finance Act 1992: A is 6/9 of D, B 7/9, C 8/9, E 11/9, F 13/9, G 15/9 and H 18/9.
Wales revalued in 2003 and, from 1 April 2005, uses nine bands on 1 April 2003 values under the Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003: Band A up to £44,000, Band D £91,001 to £123,000, and a Band I for homes over £424,000 charged at 21/9 of Band D. Because many homes were banded without an inspection, some are in the wrong band. Challenging is free on GOV.UK, but a band can be moved up as well as down.
Cheapest and most expensive council tax in England, 2026/27
Band D area averages including every precept. The gap between top and bottom is £1,736.81 a year for a home in the same band — and the band, unlike the charge, is something you can challenge.
Ten cheapest
| # | Council | Region | Band D |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wandsworth | London | £1,028.21 |
| 2 | Westminster | London | £1,049.55 |
| 3 | City of London | London | £1,329.56 |
| 4 | Hammersmith and Fulham | London | £1,519.51 |
| 5 | Kensington and Chelsea | London | £1,666.65 |
| 6 | Tower Hamlets | London | £1,837.78 |
| 7 | Newham | London | £1,944.23 |
| 8 | Windsor and Maidenhead | South East | £1,952.62 |
| 9 | Southwark | London | £1,967.26 |
| 10 | Hillingdon | London | £2,045.46 |
Ten most expensive
| # | Council | Region | Band D |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorset | South West | £2,765.02 |
| 2 | Lewes | South East | £2,756.17 |
| 3 | Nottingham | East Midlands | £2,755.39 |
| 4 | Rutland | East Midlands | £2,737.58 |
| 5 | Wealden | South East | £2,728.43 |
| 6 | Gateshead | North East | £2,715.81 |
| 7 | Bristol | South West | £2,713.68 |
| 8 | West Devon | South West | £2,705.33 |
| 9 | Rother | South East | £2,700.95 |
| 10 | Newark and Sherwood | East Midlands | £2,682.10 |
Cheapest in Wales
- Cardiff£2,013.18
- Caerphilly£2,082.88
- Newport£2,088.48
- Torfaen£2,155.68
- Pembrokeshire£2,166.15
Most expensive in Wales
- Merthyr Tydfil£2,593.60
- Neath Port Talbot£2,541.39
- Blaenau Gwent£2,531.26
- Bridgend£2,477.99
- Conwy£2,472.82
Source: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027, Table 10 (local authority level data), Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), published 25 March 2026. Figures are the average Band D for the billing authority’s area including parish, county, police, fire and combined-authority precepts, for two adults with no discounts. Bands A–H are derived from Band D using the ratios in s.5(1) Local Government Finance Act 1992. Welsh figures are from StatsWales for 2026/27.
Find your council in England
Grouped by government office region, north to south, with each region’s mean Band D beside it. Regional means are the unweighted average of the billing-authority figures in MHCLG Table 10.
North East
12 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,525.66 · £134.14 above the England average
- DarlingtonBand D £2,493.83
- DurhamBand D £2,622.15
- GatesheadBand D £2,715.81
- HartlepoolBand D £2,560.20
- MiddlesbroughBand D £2,549.16
- Newcastle upon TyneBand D £2,542.19
- North TynesideBand D £2,461.77
- NorthumberlandBand D £2,596.94
- Redcar and ClevelandBand D £2,544.48
- South TynesideBand D £2,434.43
- Stockton-on-TeesBand D £2,589.83
- SunderlandBand D £2,197.14
North West
35 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,483.22 · £91.70 above the England average
- Blackburn with DarwenBand D £2,455.27
- BlackpoolBand D £2,513.22
- BoltonBand D £2,399.74
- BurnleyBand D £2,549.42
- BuryBand D £2,555.15
- Cheshire EastBand D £2,454.87
- Cheshire West and ChesterBand D £2,517.33
- ChorleyBand D £2,430.23
- CumberlandBand D £2,511.32
- FyldeBand D £2,483.94
- HaltonBand D £2,366.61
- HyndburnBand D £2,465.98
- KnowsleyBand D £2,488.25
- LancasterBand D £2,503.19
- LiverpoolBand D £2,673.59
- ManchesterBand D £2,312.04
- OldhamBand D £2,602.23
- PendleBand D £2,640.18
- PrestonBand D £2,575.74
- Ribble ValleyBand D £2,386.50
- RochdaleBand D £2,600.83
- RossendaleBand D £2,519.97
- SalfordBand D £2,594.45
- SeftonBand D £2,583.22
- South RibbleBand D £2,442.66
- St HelensBand D £2,403.38
- StockportBand D £2,618.90
- TamesideBand D £2,447.21
- TraffordBand D £2,291.70
- WarringtonBand D £2,447.61
- West LancashireBand D £2,456.23
- Westmorland and FurnessBand D £2,507.99
- WiganBand D £2,152.68
- WirralBand D £2,500.59
- WyreBand D £2,460.53
Yorkshire and the Humber
15 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,374.19 · £17.33 below the England average
- BarnsleyBand D £2,325.96
- BradfordBand D £2,360.73
- CalderdaleBand D £2,420.15
- DoncasterBand D £2,167.75
- East Riding of YorkshireBand D £2,466.08
- Kingston upon HullBand D £2,295.04
- KirkleesBand D £2,441.07
- LeedsBand D £2,283.73
- North East LincolnshireBand D £2,483.85
- North LincolnshireBand D £2,348.46
- North YorkshireBand D £2,544.34
- RotherhamBand D £2,381.53
- SheffieldBand D £2,510.16
- WakefieldBand D £2,296.89
- YorkBand D £2,287.15
East Midlands
35 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,457.41 · £65.89 above the England average
- Amber ValleyBand D £2,407.69
- AshfieldBand D £2,608.76
- BassetlawBand D £2,644.95
- BlabyBand D £2,490.22
- BolsoverBand D £2,559.41
- BostonBand D £2,308.73
- BroxtoweBand D £2,618.21
- CharnwoodBand D £2,405.64
- ChesterfieldBand D £2,339.49
- DerbyBand D £2,306.00
- Derbyshire DalesBand D £2,444.70
- East LindseyBand D £2,275.88
- ErewashBand D £2,360.64
- GedlingBand D £2,609.55
- HarboroughBand D £2,389.87
- High PeakBand D £2,384.66
- Hinckley and BosworthBand D £2,382.62
- LeicesterBand D £2,528.75
- LincolnBand D £2,323.08
- MansfieldBand D £2,600.38
- MeltonBand D £2,429.67
- Newark and SherwoodBand D £2,682.10
- North East DerbyshireBand D £2,466.57
- North KestevenBand D £2,337.81
- North NorthamptonshireBand D £2,423.96
- North West LeicestershireBand D £2,418.20
- NottinghamBand D £2,755.39
- Oadby and WigstonBand D £2,406.85
- RushcliffeBand D £2,643.27
- RutlandBand D £2,737.58
- South DerbyshireBand D £2,339.61
- South HollandBand D £2,278.20
- South KestevenBand D £2,260.00
- West LindseyBand D £2,354.25
- West NorthamptonshireBand D £2,486.66
West Midlands
30 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,399.67 · £8.15 above the England average
- BirminghamBand D £2,362.90
- BromsgroveBand D £2,478.65
- Cannock ChaseBand D £2,375.83
- CoventryBand D £2,516.72
- DudleyBand D £2,144.84
- East StaffordshireBand D £2,351.34
- HerefordshireBand D £2,574.37
- LichfieldBand D £2,351.90
- Malvern HillsBand D £2,450.92
- Newcastle-under-LymeBand D £2,334.25
- North WarwickshireBand D £2,532.10
- Nuneaton and BedworthBand D £2,502.16
- RedditchBand D £2,462.95
- RugbyBand D £2,483.05
- SandwellBand D £2,244.46
- ShropshireBand D £2,528.18
- SolihullBand D £2,197.26
- South StaffordshireBand D £2,313.67
- StaffordBand D £2,302.68
- Staffordshire MoorlandsBand D £2,338.21
- Stoke-on-TrentBand D £2,183.12
- Stratford-on-AvonBand D £2,484.17
- TamworthBand D £2,300.76
- Telford and WrekinBand D £2,256.26
- WalsallBand D £2,627.48
- WarwickBand D £2,461.55
- WolverhamptonBand D £2,538.99
- WorcesterBand D £2,405.81
- WychavonBand D £2,373.19
- Wyre ForestBand D £2,512.47
East of England
45 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,391.20 · £0.32 below the England average
- BaberghBand D £2,341.55
- BasildonBand D £2,327.24
- BedfordBand D £2,471.74
- BraintreeBand D £2,280.34
- BrecklandBand D £2,443.67
- BrentwoodBand D £2,258.14
- BroadlandBand D £2,437.78
- BroxbourneBand D £2,306.43
- CambridgeBand D £2,467.02
- Castle PointBand D £2,318.63
- Central BedfordshireBand D £2,516.16
- ChelmsfordBand D £2,300.18
- ColchesterBand D £2,282.85
- DacorumBand D £2,408.51
- East CambridgeshireBand D £2,485.18
- East HertfordshireBand D £2,454.78
- East SuffolkBand D £2,334.80
- Epping ForestBand D £2,277.21
- FenlandBand D £2,537.74
- Great YarmouthBand D £2,414.41
- HarlowBand D £2,298.69
- HertsmereBand D £2,405.83
- HuntingdonshireBand D £2,556.40
- IpswichBand D £2,468.25
- Kings Lynn and West NorfolkBand D £2,430.13
- LutonBand D £2,439.93
- MaldonBand D £2,328.37
- Mid SuffolkBand D £2,316.88
- North HertfordshireBand D £2,448.52
- North NorfolkBand D £2,459.93
- NorwichBand D £2,503.44
- PeterboroughBand D £2,293.47
- RochfordBand D £2,363.48
- South CambridgeshireBand D £2,536.25
- South NorfolkBand D £2,482.87
- Southend-on-SeaBand D £2,265.17
- St AlbansBand D £2,419.22
- StevenageBand D £2,391.97
- TendringBand D £2,269.63
- Three RiversBand D £2,422.31
- ThurrockBand D £2,254.68
- UttlesfordBand D £2,333.82
- WatfordBand D £2,446.70
- Welwyn HatfieldBand D £2,452.26
- West SuffolkBand D £2,351.47
London
33 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,090.08 · £301.44 below the England average
- Barking and DagenhamBand D £2,198.51
- BarnetBand D £2,132.60
- BexleyBand D £2,366.36
- BrentBand D £2,235.27
- BromleyBand D £2,140.04
- CamdenBand D £2,207.55
- City of LondonBand D £1,329.56
- CroydonBand D £2,599.91
- EalingBand D £2,138.53
- EnfieldBand D £2,267.67
- GreenwichBand D £2,107.86
- HackneyBand D £2,060.30
- Hammersmith and FulhamBand D £1,519.51
- HaringeyBand D £2,313.78
- HarrowBand D £2,511.07
- HaveringBand D £2,424.66
- HillingdonBand D £2,045.46
- HounslowBand D £2,185.56
- IslingtonBand D £2,108.15
- Kensington and ChelseaBand D £1,666.65
- Kingston upon ThamesBand D £2,609.20
- LambethBand D £2,047.11
- LewishamBand D £2,237.33
- MertonBand D £2,146.76
- NewhamBand D £1,944.23
- RedbridgeBand D £2,294.58
- Richmond upon ThamesBand D £2,486.10
- SouthwarkBand D £1,967.26
- SuttonBand D £2,378.64
- Tower HamletsBand D £1,837.78
- Waltham ForestBand D £2,386.96
- WandsworthBand D £1,028.21
- WestminsterBand D £1,049.55
South East
64 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,475.45 · £83.93 above the England average
- AdurBand D £2,548.28
- ArunBand D £2,487.24
- AshfordBand D £2,410.16
- Basingstoke and DeaneBand D £2,255.21
- Bracknell ForestBand D £2,264.80
- Brighton and HoveBand D £2,580.54
- BuckinghamshireBand D £2,526.58
- CanterburyBand D £2,419.33
- CherwellBand D £2,582.96
- ChichesterBand D £2,469.68
- CrawleyBand D £2,418.46
- DartfordBand D £2,375.15
- DoverBand D £2,461.74
- East HampshireBand D £2,343.92
- EastbourneBand D £2,654.28
- EastleighBand D £2,342.21
- ElmbridgeBand D £2,557.75
- Epsom and EwellBand D £2,530.84
- FarehamBand D £2,270.55
- Folkestone and HytheBand D £2,538.75
- GosportBand D £2,344.29
- GraveshamBand D £2,408.24
- GuildfordBand D £2,547.30
- HartBand D £2,400.02
- HastingsBand D £2,676.58
- HavantBand D £2,320.28
- HorshamBand D £2,441.01
- Isle of WightBand D £2,625.79
- LewesBand D £2,756.17
- MaidstoneBand D £2,502.59
- MedwayBand D £2,328.55
- Mid SussexBand D £2,474.26
- Milton KeynesBand D £2,372.21
- Mole ValleyBand D £2,519.86
- New ForestBand D £2,419.76
- OxfordBand D £2,678.40
- PortsmouthBand D £2,291.71
- ReadingBand D £2,612.77
- Reigate and BansteadBand D £2,566.61
- RotherBand D £2,700.95
- RunnymedeBand D £2,492.99
- RushmoorBand D £2,320.28
- SevenoaksBand D £2,522.36
- SloughBand D £2,414.44
- South OxfordshireBand D £2,597.57
- SouthamptonBand D £2,381.48
- SpelthorneBand D £2,526.44
- Surrey HeathBand D £2,585.16
- SwaleBand D £2,405.65
- TandridgeBand D £2,594.85
- Test ValleyBand D £2,305.52
- ThanetBand D £2,490.90
- Tonbridge and MallingBand D £2,471.83
- Tunbridge WellsBand D £2,446.15
- Vale of White HorseBand D £2,577.44
- WaverleyBand D £2,604.87
- WealdenBand D £2,728.43
- West BerkshireBand D £2,505.37
- West OxfordshireBand D £2,566.95
- WinchesterBand D £2,359.76
- Windsor and MaidenheadBand D £1,952.62
- WokingBand D £2,598.04
- WokinghamBand D £2,497.70
- WorthingBand D £2,456.13
South West
27 billing authorities · mean Band D £2,511.40 · £119.88 above the England average
- Bath and North East SomersetBand D £2,383.42
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleBand D £2,435.58
- BristolBand D £2,713.68
- CheltenhamBand D £2,369.52
- CornwallBand D £2,590.93
- CotswoldBand D £2,391.65
- DorsetBand D £2,765.02
- East DevonBand D £2,595.46
- ExeterBand D £2,495.36
- Forest of DeanBand D £2,443.42
- GloucesterBand D £2,355.84
- Isles of ScillyBand D £2,047.96
- Mid DevonBand D £2,656.41
- North DevonBand D £2,642.21
- North SomersetBand D £2,491.22
- PlymouthBand D £2,441.85
- SomersetBand D £2,560.59
- South GloucestershireBand D £2,550.59
- South HamsBand D £2,615.22
- StroudBand D £2,491.36
- SwindonBand D £2,438.10
- TeignbridgeBand D £2,643.12
- TewkesburyBand D £2,340.53
- TorbayBand D £2,470.25
- TorridgeBand D £2,601.42
- West DevonBand D £2,705.33
- WiltshireBand D £2,571.78
Source: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027, Table 10 (local authority level data), Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), published 25 March 2026. Figures are the average Band D for the billing authority’s area including parish, county, police, fire and combined-authority precepts, for two adults with no discounts. Bands A–H are derived from Band D using the ratios in s.5(1) Local Government Finance Act 1992. Scotland is banded by the Scottish Assessors and is not covered.
Find your council in Wales
Nine bands, A to I, on 1 April 2003 values. The Welsh Government publishes the charge for every band in each of the 22 county and county borough councils, so the Welsh pages show published figures rather than ratios of Band D. The Wales average Band D for 2026/27 is £2,283.08. Councils are grouped by police force area — the grouping the Welsh Government itself uses, and the one that sets the police precept inside every bill.
North Wales
6 councils · mean Band D £2,371.07
- ConwyBand D £2,472.82
- DenbighshireSir DdinbychBand D £2,339.03
- FlintshireSir y FflintBand D £2,376.17
- GwyneddBand D £2,468.77
- Isle of AngleseyYnys MônBand D £2,260.73
- WrexhamWrecsamBand D £2,308.88
Dyfed-Powys
4 councils · mean Band D £2,322.13
- CarmarthenshireSir GaerfyrddinBand D £2,351.20
- CeredigionBand D £2,419.45
- PembrokeshireSir BenfroBand D £2,166.15
- PowysBand D £2,351.72
South Wales
7 councils · mean Band D £2,340.77
- BridgendPen-y-bont ar OgwrBand D £2,477.99
- CardiffCaerdyddBand D £2,013.18
- Merthyr TydfilMerthyr TudfulBand D £2,593.60
- Neath Port TalbotCastell-nedd Port TalbotBand D £2,541.39
- Rhondda Cynon TafBand D £2,289.43
- SwanseaAbertaweBand D £2,238.29
- Vale of GlamorganBro MorgannwgBand D £2,231.54
Gwent
5 councils · mean Band D £2,254.96
- Blaenau GwentBand D £2,531.26
- CaerphillyCaerffiliBand D £2,082.88
- MonmouthshireSir FynwyBand D £2,416.50
- NewportCasnewyddBand D £2,088.48
- TorfaenBand D £2,155.68
Source: Council tax levels by billing authority and band (StatsWales), Welsh Government (Llywodraeth Cymru), published 24 March 2026. Figures are the average Band D for the billing authority’s area including the county or county borough council, police and community council elements, for two adults with no discounts. Bands A–I are the figures StatsWales publishes for each authority; they follow the ratios in the Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003.
Before you challenge a band
- Is my council tax band too high?
The two checks to run before you go near the VOA — neighbours on your street, and what your home was worth at the valuation date.
- How to challenge your council tax band
Proposal or band review, the six-month rule, the evidence the VOA accepts and what happens after you submit.
- How far back a refund goes
A lower band is backdated to the day you became liable — how the refund is worked out and who actually pays it.
- Appealing to the Valuation Tribunal
If the VOA says no: the three-month window in England, four in Wales, the forms and how the hearing runs.
Check it free before you challenge.
The free checker compares your home with similar homes in your postcode (bands from the VOA list, size and age from the EPC register) and back-casts your value to 1 April 1991. Both tests have to point lower before it is worth challenging — the VOA can move a band up as well as down, and it can re-band neighbours too.
- ✓Challenging on GOV.UK is free; the VOA never charges
- ✓A successful challenge is backdated to the day you became liable at the address, and never earlier than 1 April 1993, when the English valuation list was compiled.
- ✓The £29 pack builds the comparables, letter and form text the VOA expects
Free · no account
Council tax band checker
Two checks, one honest verdict. Takes about two minutes.
Check my band — freeOr read about the £29 challenge pack.
Questions about council tax bands
What is the average council tax in England for 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2026/27 is £2,391.52 a year, according to MHCLG's council tax levels release published 25 March 2026. It ranges from £1,028.21 in Wandsworth to £2,765.02 in Dorset.
Which council has the cheapest council tax in England?
On the 2026/27 figures the lowest area-average Band D in England is Wandsworth at £1,028.21, followed by Westminster (£1,049.55) and City of London (£1,329.56). The highest is Dorset at £2,765.02 — a spread of £1,736.81 a year for the same band. Source: MHCLG council tax levels 2026/27, Table 10.
What is the average council tax in Wales for 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax in Wales for 2026/27 is £2,283.08 a year, according to the Welsh Government's council tax levels statistics published 24 March 2026. It ranges from £2,013.18 in Cardiff to £2,593.60 in Merthyr Tydfil.
How are council tax bands worked out?
In England every home is placed in one of eight bands, A to H, by the Valuation Office Agency based on what it would have sold for on 1 April 1991 (Local Government Finance Act 1992 and gov.uk/council-tax-bands). In Wales there are nine bands, A to I, based on 1 April 2003 values (Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003). Each council sets its Band D charge and the other bands follow fixed ratios: Band A is 6/9 of Band D, Band H is double it and Welsh Band I is 21/9.
Why does my bill differ from the figure shown for my council?
The published figure is the average for the whole billing-authority area including parish or community council precepts, for two adults with no discounts. Local precepts vary within a council, and single-person discount, disability reduction or council tax support change the amount you actually pay. Your bill is the definitive figure.
Can I get my council tax band lowered?
You can ask the VOA to review your band at any time, free of charge, and if you have been the taxpayer for less than six months you can make a formal proposal with a right of appeal to the Valuation Tribunal (gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band). In 2023-24, 27% of resolved challenges resulted in a lower band and under 1% in a higher one (VOA, Council Tax challenges and changes 2023-24 (published March 2024)). Bands can go up as well as down, so check the evidence first.
CourtPilot is independent and not affiliated with the Valuation Office Agency, HMRC, MHCLG, the Welsh Government or any council. Council tax levels are for 2026/27 and are published by MHCLG; check your own bill for the exact amount, which can differ by parish and by discount. This is information, not legal or financial advice. Read the full guide to challenging a band.