Changes 2026/27

Council tax changes for 2026/27: what is going up and why

English bills rose by around 4.9 per cent on average in April 2026. Welsh and Scottish bills rose by more. Seven English councils were allowed to raise above the usual 4.99 per cent referendum cap. Police and fire precepts rose by up to £15 and £5 on Band D.

England

+4.9%

average rise, adding around £111 to a Band D bill

Wales

+5.2%

average rise, adding around £113 to a Band D bill

Scotland

+4-10%

range across the 32 councils; Scotland sets no cap and publishes no single average

The referendum threshold

Each year the government sets a maximum percentage by which English councils can raise council tax without a local referendum. For 2026/27, the threshold is:

Upper-tier authorities (counties, unitaries, London boroughs, mets): up to 4.99 per cent (2.99 per cent core plus 2.00 per cent adult social care precept).
District councils: up to 2.99 per cent or £5 on Band D, whichever is greater.
Police and Crime Commissioners: up to £15 on Band D. Six commissioners (Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Durham, Gloucestershire, Humberside and Northumbria) were allowed up to £18.50.
Fire and rescue authorities: up to £5 on Band D (Northamptonshire up to £10).
Parish and town councils: no referendum limit was set for 2026/27.

Going above these limits requires a local referendum. Most authorities went to the limit: MHCLG counts 274 of the 384 authorities with a limit as taking the maximum increase in 2026/27, including 30 of the 37 police and crime commissioners and 23 of the 29 fire and rescue authorities.

Sources: Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) (England) Report 2026-27 (laid 9 February 2026) and MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027, Table 4.

The seven councils allowed above-cap rises

The government can set a higher referendum limit for an individual council, usually at that council's request because of pressure on its finances. Seven councils had a higher limit for 2026/27.

Council	Highest rise without a referendum
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	6.74%
North Somerset	8.99%
Shropshire	8.99%
Trafford	7.49%
Warrington	7.49%
Windsor and Maidenhead	7.49%
Worcestershire	8.99%

Each council's own limit is set in the 2026-27 referendum principles report: 7.5 per cent for Trafford, Warrington and Windsor and Maidenhead, 9 per cent for North Somerset, Shropshire and Worcestershire, and 6.75 per cent for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, each including the 2 per cent adult social care precept. A rise must stay below the limit, so the figures above are the highest possible. Check your council's budget papers for the rise it actually set.

Second home premium

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 gave English councils the power to charge a premium of up to 100 per cent on furnished homes that nobody lives in as their main residence. The earliest it could apply was 1 April 2025, because a council must decide at least a year before the premium starts. Whether your council charges it, and from when, is set out in its own council tax decisions. Welsh councils can charge second home premiums of up to 300 per cent, and Scottish councils up to 100 per cent.

Some homes are excepted from the premium under the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings and Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2024. They include homes actively marketed for sale or let (for up to 12 months), inherited homes (for up to 12 months after probate or letters of administration are granted), job-related homes, and annexes used as part of the main home.

Empty property premiums

The same Act sharpened the empty homes premium. Since 1 April 2024, councils can apply:

Up to 100 per cent extra after one year empty (down from two).
Up to 200 per cent extra after five years.
Up to 300 per cent extra after ten years.

An empty home undergoing major repairs or structural alteration is excepted from the empty homes premium for up to 12 months (this exception does not apply to second homes).

Worked example: the average Band D bill

MHCLG puts the average Band D bill in England (including adult social care and parish precepts) at £2,280 for 2025/26 and £2,392 for 2026/27, a 4.9 per cent rise. Over the standard ten instalments, the 2026/27 average is about £239 a month. Over twelve, it is about £199 a month. To work out your own rise, compare the total on this year's bill with last year's.

What is changing in council tax administration

In April 2026 the government published its response to its 2025 consultation on modernising council tax administration. Bills will be spread over 12 monthly instalments by default from April 2028, and anyone who becomes liable from April 2027 will start on 12 instalments. You will keep the right to ask for 10. Separately, a High Value Council Tax Surcharge on homes valued at £2 million or more is due to start in April 2028.

Frequently asked questions

Is council tax going up in April 2026?

Yes. The average increase across English councils is around 4.9 per cent for 2026/27, adding roughly £111 to a Band D bill. Wales averages 5.2 per cent. Scotland sets no referendum cap and publishes no single national average: its 32 councils raised bills by between 4 and 10 per cent, with Aberdeenshire and Moray the highest at 10 per cent. Some individual English councils have raised by more too, with seven allowed to exceed the usual 4.99 per cent referendum limit.

What is the referendum threshold for 2026/27?

English councils can raise core council tax by up to 2.99 per cent without a referendum, plus a further 2.00 per cent adult social-care precept where applicable, giving a maximum of 4.99 per cent for upper-tier authorities. District councils can raise by 2.99 per cent or £5 on Band D, whichever is greater. Police and crime commissioners can add up to £15 on Band D (£18.50 for six named commissioners) and fire and rescue authorities up to £5. Going above these thresholds requires a local referendum, unless the government has set that council a higher limit.

Are second home premiums new in 2026?

The legal power was created by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 and came into force on 1 April 2025. A council must decide at least a year before it starts charging, so whether and when it applies depends on your council. The premium is up to 100 per cent extra on top of the normal council tax for furnished homes that are not anyone's main residence.

Will my bill rise by exactly 4.9 per cent?

Probably not. The 4.9 per cent figure is an England-wide average. Your council may have raised by less, by exactly the cap (4.99 per cent), or by more where the government set a higher limit. The police and fire precepts are set separately and may rise at different rates. Check the breakdown on your bill or your council's budget papers.

Related: see how your council compares, all the discounts you can claim to offset the rise, and our 10 ways to reduce the bill.