The 294 areas in England paying more council tax than Westminster ...Middle East

Households in 294 regions in England are paying more council tax than residents of Westminster, one of the country’s most affluent areas, analysis by The i Paper has found.

In April, the majority of local authorities increased their council tax by the maximum of 4.99 per cent, while some councils were granted special dispensation to hike bills by even more than this.

Under current rules, councils can increase tax rates by up to 4.99 per cent each year but require Government permission to go beyond this figure.

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The sweeping increases in April came amid a wider funding crisis, with a quarter of councils warning last year that they would need emergency government bailouts to avoid bankruptcy over the next two years.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, for example, increased their council tax by 8.99 per cent, significantly above the normal allowance, but far lower than the 25 per cent increase it had requested, to avoid going bankrupt.

The average band D council tax bill across England is now £2,280 for the 2025-26 tax year, according to government data – an increase of £109 from £2,171 in 2024-25.

While the London Borough of Westminster has some of the highest house prices in the country, with average property prices of £947,000, according to the Office for National Statistics, it has the second cheapest council tax.

A Band D home in Westminster will pay just £1,017.18 council tax this year, meaning 294 of 296 billing authorities in England will pay more.

The only area paying less is the London Borough of Wandsworth, where band D homes face an average council tax bill of just £997.75 this year.

There are 13 local authorities with a council tax bill of less than £2,000 this year, and all but two of those are London boroughs, government data shows.

Meanwhile, the area with the most expensive council tax remains Rutland, a small county in the Midlands, where band D homes currently pay £2,671.01, up from £2,543.29 last year.

Council tax has been branded unfair by a number of property experts because wealthier households can end up paying far less than poorer ones.

The north of England technically has 71 councils, all of which face larger council tax bills than many London boroughs, despite having significantly lower property prices.

Residents with a Band D home in Sunderland, where average property prices are £140,000 – £800,000 less than a typical home in Westminster – pay £2,081.93 council tax this year, almost £1,000 more than people living in Westminster.

This is because while property prices in an area might be lower, the cost to the council to upkeep infrastructure can be similar across the country.

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People living in areas with higher population densities, like London, can end up paying less because there are more people to foot the bill of maintaining infrastructure and facilities.

There is also the issue of how properties are currently valued for council tax purposes.

In England and Scotland, council tax bands are based on a property’s value as of 1 April 1991, while Wales is based on property values as of 1 April 2003.However, property prices have not necessarily increased in line with the rates they were valued at back in 1991.

Joanne Walker, technical officer at the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, explained: “This results in some oddities, as different properties have increased in value at different rates since 1991 (or 2003 in Wales), meaning that if all properties were revalued, many properties would be in different bands.

“There are also many domestic properties that were built after [that time] – these have all been placed in a valuation band based on a hypothetical value.“Inevitably, some properties that are now of similar value have very different council tax liabilities from each other.”

You can challenge your council tax band if you do not think that it is fair, for example, if you have a neighbour in a similar-sized property that is in a cheaper council tax band.

Collect evidence to support your case and then apply either online, by email or by post.

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