Council tax bands in Preston
Band D council tax in the Preston area is £2,575.74 a year for 2026/27 — £184.22 above the England average of £2,391.52, and number 247 of 296 among English billing authorities (1 = cheapest). Every band from A to H is below, with what a one-band drop would save.
Preston council tax by band, 2026/27
| Band | Home value on 1 April 1991 | Per year | Per month (10 instalments) | One-band drop saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | up to £40,000 | £1,717.16 | £171.72 | — |
| Band B | £40,001 – £52,000 | £2,003.35 | £200.33 | £286.19 a year |
| Band C | £52,001 – £68,000 | £2,289.55 | £228.96 | £286.20 a year |
| Band D | £68,001 – £88,000 | £2,575.74 | £257.57 | £286.19 a year |
| Band E | £88,001 – £120,000 | £3,148.13 | £314.81 | £572.39 a year |
| Band F | £120,001 – £160,000 | £3,720.51 | £372.05 | £572.38 a year |
| Band G | £160,001 – £320,000 | £4,292.90 | £429.29 | £572.39 a year |
| Band H | over £320,000 | £5,151.48 | £515.15 | £858.58 a year |
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. Monthly figures assume the usual 10 instalments; you can ask your council to spread the bill over 12 (gov.uk). 1991 value ranges are from s.5(2) Local Government Finance Act 1992 (gov.uk/council-tax-bands).
In Preston, one band down is £286.19 a year from Band D.
One ninth of the Band D charge in Preston is £286.19. The steps down to Band A are worth one ninth each (Band D to C, C to B, B to A); Band E to D, F to E and G to F are two ninths each; and Band H to G is three ninths. A successful challenge is backdated to the day you became liable at the address (or 1 April 1993 at the earliest), so the refund is the annual saving multiplied by the years you have lived there, at each year’s rate.
- Band B → Band A£286.19 a year
- Band C → Band B£286.20 a year
- Band D → Band C£286.19 a year
- Band E → Band D (2 ninths)£572.39 a year
- Band F → Band E (2 ninths)£572.38 a year
- Band G → Band F (2 ninths)£572.39 a year
- Band H → Band G (3 ninths)£858.58 a year
Based on 1991 values, never revalued in England
The Valuation Office Agency banded every home in England on what it would have sold for on 1 April 1991, and England has not been revalued since (gov.uk/council-tax-bands). Many bands were set from the street without an inspection. If similar homes on your street in Preston sit in a lower band, or your home was worth less than the band threshold in 1991, the band may be wrong.
Challenging is free on GOV.UK. The VOA can move a band up as well as down, so run both checks before you ask.
Run the free checkPreston is £92.52 a year above the North West average.
Band D in the Preston area is £2,575.74. The mean across the 35 billing authorities in the North West is £2,483.22, and the England average is £2,391.52. Preston ranks 28 of 35 in the North West and 247 of 296 across England (1 = cheapest). A band is a national judgement about your home’s 1991 value, not about what your council charges — but it decides which multiple of that £2,575.74 you pay.
| Band D, 2026/27 | Per year | Difference from Preston |
|---|---|---|
| Preston | £2,575.74 | — |
| the North West average (35 councils) | £2,483.22 | −£92.52 |
| England average | £2,391.52 | −£184.22 |
Regional and England averages are the unweighted mean of the billing-authority Band D figures in the source table, so they are not population-weighted; the England average published by MHCLG is £2,391.52.
Other councils in Lancashire
These are Preston's actual neighbours in Lancashire — the councils whose homes the VOA banded against the same 1991 market, not simply the next names in the alphabet.
- Blackburn with DarwenBand D £2,455.27
- BlackpoolBand D £2,513.22
- BurnleyBand D £2,549.42
- ChorleyBand D £2,430.23
- FyldeBand D £2,483.94
- HyndburnBand D £2,465.98
- LancasterBand D £2,503.19
- PendleBand D £2,640.18
- Ribble ValleyBand D £2,386.50
- RossendaleBand D £2,519.97
- South RibbleBand D £2,442.66
- West LancashireBand D £2,456.23
- WyreBand D £2,460.53
Just over the border
- Cheshire EastBand D £2,454.87
- CumberlandBand D £2,511.32
- North YorkshireBand D £2,544.34
- BoltonBand D £2,399.74
- KnowsleyBand D £2,488.25
- BradfordBand D £2,360.73
- Cheshire West and ChesterBand D £2,517.33
- Westmorland and FurnessBand D £2,507.99
- YorkBand D £2,287.15
All 296 English councils · Cheapest and most expensive councils
Challenging a band in Preston
- 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 in Preston.
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.
Council tax in Preston: questions people ask
How much is council tax in Preston for 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax in the Preston area for 2026/27 is £2,575.74 a year, according to MHCLG's council tax levels release published 25 March 2026. That is £184.22 above the England average of £2,391.52. Band A is £1,717.16 and Band H is £5,151.48.
Is council tax in Preston higher than nearby?
Band D in Preston is £2,575.74 for 2026/27, against a mean of £2,483.22 across the 35 billing authorities in the North West — £92.52 more. Within the North West it ranks 28 of 35, and across England 247 of 296 (1 = cheapest). The charge is set by the council; the band is set by the VOA, and only the band is something you can challenge.
How much would I save if my Preston band was lowered?
Dropping from Band D to Band C in Preston saves £286.19 a year on the 2026/27 figures; each band step is worth between £286.19 (B to A) and £858.58 (H to G). A successful challenge is also backdated to the date you became liable for council tax at the address, or 1 April 1993 if later, so the refund can cover many years.
Why is my Preston bill different from these figures?
These are the average for the whole Preston billing area for two adults with no discounts, including parish, county, police, fire and combined-authority precepts where they apply. Parish precepts differ from one parish to the next, and the single-person discount (25%), disability reduction and council tax support all change what you actually pay. Your bill is the definitive figure.
Can my band go up if I challenge it?
Yes. The VOA reviews the evidence and can move a band in either direction, and it can re-band neighbouring homes it looks at. In 2023-24, 27% of resolved challenges ended in a lower band and under 1% in a higher one (VOA, Council Tax challenges and changes 2023-24 (published March 2024)). Challenging is free on GOV.UK; if you have been the taxpayer for under six months you have a formal right of proposal with an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
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.