Which UK council has the most expensive council tax in 2026/27?

Of the 157 major UK councils tracked here, Dorset Council has the highest Band D charge for 2026/27 at £2,765.02. This is the total Band D bill including police, fire and (in London) Greater London Authority precepts.

Which UK council has the cheapest council tax in 2026/27?

Of the 157 major UK councils tracked here, Wandsworth Borough Council has the lowest Band D charge for 2026/27 at £1,020.35. Wandsworth and Westminster have long had the lowest council tax of any London borough.

Why is council tax so different between areas?

Each billing authority sets its own Band D rate, then adds precepts for the police, fire and (in London) the Greater London Authority. Councils with a smaller commercial tax base, higher social care demand or no large precept-free reserves tend to charge more. The gap between the most and least expensive council here is £1,744.67 a year at Band D.

Is this every UK council?

No. This compares 157 of the larger UK billing authorities by population. There are more than 300 billing authorities in the UK; coverage is being expanded. Figures shown are the Band D equivalent for the billing authority including standard precepts, excluding parish or town council precepts.

Most Expensive and Cheapest Council Tax 2026/27

The 157 largest UK councils ranked by total Band D bill for 2026/27, from highest to lowest. Figures include police, fire and (in London) the GLA precept, so the comparison is like-for-like.

Quick answer

Of the 157 major UK councils tracked here, the most expensive council tax in 2026/27 is Dorset Council at £2,765.02 at Band D. The cheapest is Wandsworth Borough Council at £1,020.35 - a difference of £1,744.67 a year for an identical Band D home.

10 Most Expensive Councils - Band D 2026/27

#	Council	Region	Band D 2026/27	vs 2025/26
1	Dorset Council	South West	£2,765.02	+£134.72 (+5.1%)
2	Nottingham City Council	East Midlands	£2,755.39	+£99.20 (+3.7%)
3	Rutland County Council	East Midlands	£2,737.58	+£66.57 (+2.5%)
4	Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council	North East	£2,715.81	+£137.35 (+5.3%)
5	Bristol City Council	South West	£2,713.68	+£129.79 (+5.0%)
6	Oxford City Council	South East	£2,678.40	+£121.27 (+4.7%)
7	Liverpool City Council	North West	£2,673.59	+£127.14 (+5.0%)
8	Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council	West Midlands	£2,627.48	+£129.21 (+5.2%)
9	Isle of Wight Council	South East	£2,625.79	+£132.43 (+5.3%)
10	Durham County Council	North East	£2,622.15	+£70.98 (+2.8%)

10 Cheapest Councils - Band D 2026/27

#	Council	Region	Band D 2026/27	vs 2025/26
1	Wandsworth Borough Council	London	£1,020.35	+£22.60 (+2.3%)
2	Westminster City Council	London	£1,049.55	+£30.55 (+3.0%)
3	South Lanarkshire Council	Scotland	£1,468.47	+£89.62 (+6.5%)
4	London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham	London	£1,519.51	+£68.09 (+4.7%)
5	North Lanarkshire Council	Scotland	£1,554.56	+£101.70 (+7.0%)
6	Fife Council	Scotland	£1,573.70	+£74.94 (+5.0%)
7	City of Edinburgh Council	Scotland	£1,626.05	+£58.05 (+3.7%)
8	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea	London	£1,666.65	+£75.06 (+4.7%)
9	Glasgow City Council	Scotland	£1,706.00	+£95.00 (+5.9%)
10	Dundee City Council	Scotland	£1,729.69	+£124.35 (+7.7%)

Looking for a specific area? Browse all councils by region for the full Band A to H rate table.

Cheapest and Most Expensive Council by Region - Band D 2026/27

The lowest and highest Band D bill among the councils we track in each region for 2026/27. Tap a region for the full regional comparison, or a council for its complete Band A to H table.

Region	Councils	Cheapest (Band D)	Most expensive (Band D)
London	32	Wandsworth Borough Council - £1,020.35	Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames - £2,609.20
North West	23	Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council - £2,152.68	Liverpool City Council - £2,673.59
North East	12	Sunderland City Council - £2,197.14	Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council - £2,715.81
Yorkshire & Humber	15	City of Doncaster Council - £2,167.75	North Yorkshire Council - £2,544.34
West Midlands	11	Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council - £2,144.84	Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council - £2,627.48
East Midlands	9	Derby City Council - £2,306.00	Nottingham City Council - £2,755.39
East of England	11	Thurrock Council - £2,254.68	Central Bedfordshire Council - £2,516.16
South East	16	Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead - £1,952.62	Oxford City Council - £2,678.40
South West	12	Gloucester City Council - £2,355.84	Dorset Council - £2,765.02
Wales	8	Cardiff Council - £2,013.18	Bridgend County Borough Council - £2,477.99
Scotland	8	South Lanarkshire Council - £1,468.47	Stirling Council - £1,752.90

Figures are the total Band D charge including police, fire and (in London) the GLA precept. Scottish figures are the council tax portion only; Scottish Water and waste water charges are billed on top. Based on the councils tracked in each region, not every authority.

Independent information. Not affiliated with the Valuation Office Agency, any local authority, or Scottish Assessors. Rate data is compiled from published 2026/27 council tax schedules. Not legal or financial advice. Contact your local authority for billing queries.

How the ranking is calculated

Each council is ranked by its total Band D charge for 2026/27. This is the figure a Band D household actually pays: the billing authority's own charge plus the police and fire precepts, and in London the Greater London Authority precept. Parish and town council precepts, which vary street by street, are excluded so the comparison stays like-for-like.

Band D is the standard reference band. Every other band is a fixed fraction of Band D, so a council that is expensive at Band D is expensive at every band. A home in Band A pays roughly two-thirds of the Band D figure; a Band H home pays double.

This page covers 157 of the larger UK billing authorities by population. There are more than 300 billing authorities in total; coverage is being expanded.

Data compiled from published 2026/27 council tax schedules. Source: individual local authority council tax schedules and the MHCLG 'Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027' release.

Last verified 23 June 2026 · Sourced from Individual council websites, GOV.UK, ONS, and the Valuation Office Agency

Editorial independence: CouncilTaxBands.com is reader-supported. Some outbound links, for example to moving and removals services, are affiliate links that may earn us a referral fee at no extra cost to you. Council tax rates and band data are independent and sourced from individual council websites, GOV.UK, ONS, and the Valuation Office Agency. We never recommend a service because it pays us.