Which areas have the UK’s highest Council Tax?

Where in the UK has the most expensive Council Tax and which areas pay the least?

We’ve ranked every local authority in the UK – check out where your Council falls below, as well as more details on how Council Tax is calculated.

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Read more about Council Tax:

• How to register for Council Tax
• How to claim student exemption
• What does Council Tax pay for?

How is Council Tax Calculated?

The amount you’ll pay in Council Tax depends on two things – the value of the property and what local authority you live in. Every property in the UK is given a Council Tax band between A and H, based on what the property would have sold for in 1991. You can see the specific values for all 8 Council Tax bands below.

Each local authority then decides how much each band will pay for Council Tax as part of their local budget. Properties in the same band can pay very different amounts in tax depending on their location.

Where has the UK’s most expensive Council Tax?

In the tax year 2024/2025, the UK’s most expensive Council Tax bills are in Rutland, where a band D home will pay around £2,543 this year, depending on which parish they are in. In contrast, The UK’s cheapest Council Tax is in Wandsorth, London, where a band D property will pay approximately £969 a year.

Other areas with very high tax rates include Nottingham (£2,530 annually), Dorset (£2,504 annually) and Lewes (£2,503 annually). The secon cheapest are for Council Tax is also in London, in Westminster you can expect to pay £975 annually. The next cheapest area is the opposite of these London boroughs, the Shetland Isles, where residents will pay £1,261 in tax for a Band D property.

The cheapest and most expensive Council Tax across the UK

This is a ranking of every local authority in the UK by the average Band D council tax paid annually for a home occupied by 2 adults in the tax year 2022/2023, across England, Scotland and Wales. We’ve arranged it from cheapest to most expensive Council Tax.

Are you looking for your council? Hit ctrl + F or cmd + F and search for the name of your local authority.

Very Low tax

Low Tax

Average Tax

High Tax

Very High Tax

 Source: Propertydata.co.uk