Council Tax Bands in London 2026/27

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 £471.68, which funds the Mayor of London's office, Transport for London (TfL), the Metropolitan Police Service, and the London Fire Brigade. This precept is set by the Mayor and applies across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London.

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 have historically kept their own element very low (below £420 Band D in 2026/27), which is why their total bills are far below the London average despite including 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 set a very low council tax rate. Westminster, with its substantial commercial property base in the West End and Mayfair, has kept its Band D rate under £900 for many years.

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.