Council Tax Bands in London 2026/27
All London borough Band D rates for 2026/27, including the Greater London Authority (GLA) precept. London bills are set by each borough but all include a shared GLA precept for transport (TfL), the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade, and the Mayor's office.
Cheapest London borough
Wandsworth Borough Council
£1,020.35
Most expensive (of covered boroughs)
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
£2,609.20
GLA precept 2026/27
£510.51
Included in all London bills (Band D)
London Borough Band D Rates 2026/27
The Greater London Authority Precept
Every London household pays a Greater London Authority (GLA) precept as part of their council tax bill. For 2026/27, the GLA Band D precept is £510.51 (a £20.13 increase on 2025/26), which funds the Mayor of London's office, Transport for London (TfL), the Metropolitan Police Service, and the London Fire Brigade. The City of London pays a reduced GLA precept of £176.38 because it funds its own police force. This precept is set by the Mayor and applies across all 32 London boroughs.
The GLA precept increased for 2026/27 primarily due to continued funding pressure on Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police. The combined bill you see on your council tax notice includes both the borough's own element and the GLA precept. Your borough cannot control the GLA element.
This means that when comparing London boroughs, the variation in total Band D rates largely reflects the borough's own spending decisions. Westminster and Wandsworth still set among the lowest own-elements in England (around £510 to £539 Band D in 2026/27 before the GLA precept), which is why their total bills remain the lowest in London despite the same GLA precept as every other borough.
Why Are Some London Boroughs So Much Cheaper?
Westminster and Wandsworth stand out as exceptional outliers in the London council tax landscape. Both boroughs have historically chosen to fund a large proportion of their services from other income sources, particularly commercial property income and parking revenues, allowing them to keep their own-element council tax low. Westminster, with its substantial commercial property base in the West End and Mayfair, set its own Band D element at about £539 for 2026/27 — the total bill of £1,050 is still the second lowest in London after Wandsworth, but rising GLA precepts have pushed the headline figure above £1,000 for the first time.
Wandsworth similarly benefits from a deliberate political strategy of low council tax, historically one of the lowest in London. Changes in political control of a council can affect this: Wandsworth saw its rate rise more sharply after the 2022 local elections changed its political administration.
Boroughs with higher Band D rates typically face greater demands for adult social care and housing support, and have smaller commercial property tax bases to offset the cost. Inner London boroughs with significant social housing populations often face higher expenditure demands than their outer London counterparts.
London Council Tax: Common Questions
Which London borough has the cheapest council tax in 2026/27?
Wandsworth has the cheapest council tax in London for 2026/27, at £1,020.35 for a Band D property, followed by Westminster at £1,049.55. Both keep their own council tax low by funding a large share of services from commercial property and parking income. Every London bill still includes the same £510.51 Greater London Authority precept.
Which London borough has the most expensive council tax?
Kingston upon Thames has the highest Band D council tax of the London boroughs for 2026/27, at £2,609.20, followed by Croydon at £2,599.91. Higher-charging boroughs typically face greater adult social care and housing demand with a smaller commercial tax base to offset it.
How much is the GLA precept on council tax for 2026/27?
The Greater London Authority (GLA) Band D precept for 2026/27 is £510.51, up £20.13 (4.1%) on the £490.38 charged in 2025/26. It is included in every London borough's council tax bill and funds the Mayor of London, Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. The City of London pays a reduced GLA precept of £176.38 because it funds its own police force.
What is the range of council tax across London boroughs?
London Band D council tax for 2026/27 ranges from £1,020.35 in Wandsworth to £2,609.20 in Kingston upon Thames, across the 32 boroughs covered here. Because the £510.51 GLA precept is the same everywhere, the difference between boroughs reflects each council's own spending decisions.
Why is council tax so much cheaper in Wandsworth and Westminster?
Both boroughs set an unusually low own-element (about £510 in Wandsworth and £539 in Westminster for 2026/27, before the £510.51 GLA precept) by funding a large share of services from commercial property income and parking revenue rather than council tax. Rising GLA precepts pushed Westminster's headline bill above £1,000 for the first time in 2026/27, but both remain the lowest total bills in London.
Updated April 2026. Source: individual London borough council tax schedules and Greater London Authority precept schedule 2026/27.