Council tax by area, England (2026/27)
For 2026/27, the average Band D council tax in England is £2,392 a year. It ranges from £1,028 (Wandsworth) to £2,765 (Dorset Council) across 296 billing authorities. Compare any area's bands A–H and its national rank. Source: MHCLG, 2026/27.
Source: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG). As of . Updated annually · last updated .
Quick answer: the average Band D council tax in England is £2,392/yr for 2026/27. The cheapest is Wandsworth (£1,028) and the most expensive is Dorset Council (£2,765). Council tax follows the property, not the person — you cannot switch it, only your band and any discounts change your bill.
Council tax by region
North East
Avg Band D £2,526 · 12 areas · rank 1/9
South West
Avg Band D £2,511 · 27 areas · rank 2/9
North West
Avg Band D £2,483 · 35 areas · rank 3/9
South East
Avg Band D £2,475 · 64 areas · rank 4/9
East Midlands
Avg Band D £2,457 · 35 areas · rank 5/9
West Midlands
Avg Band D £2,400 · 30 areas · rank 6/9
East of England
Avg Band D £2,391 · 45 areas · rank 7/9
Yorkshire and The Humber
Avg Band D £2,374 · 15 areas · rank 8/9
London
Avg Band D £2,090 · 33 areas · rank 9/9
All 296 billing authorities, 2026/27
Band D charge, the Gera Council Tax Index (100 = England average), and the national rank (1 = most expensive). Tap an area for every band A–H.
Band D is the standard reference charge (the total including county, police, fire and any adult-social-care precepts). The England row is the published national average. Source: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG).
Council tax — frequently asked questions
What is the average council tax in England for 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax in England is £2,392 a year for 2026/27, and the average per dwelling (across all bands, after discounts) is £1,868. Band D is the standard reference band. Your own bill depends on your property's band, your billing authority, any parish precept, and any discounts. Source: MHCLG.
Which area has the highest and lowest council tax in England?
For 2026/27, Dorset Council (South West) has the highest Band D charge at £2,765, and Wandsworth (London) the lowest at £1,028 — a difference of £1,737 a year at Band D. Source: MHCLG, 2026/27.
What are council tax bands and how are they set?
Every home in England is placed in one of eight bands (A to H) based on its value on 1 April 1991. The charge for each band is a fixed proportion of the Band D charge, set in law: A = 6/9, B = 7/9, C = 8/9, D = 9/9, E = 11/9, F = 13/9, G = 15/9, H = 18/9. So Band A is always two-thirds of Band D and Band H is exactly double it, everywhere in England.
What is the Gera Council Tax Index?
The Gera Council Tax Index (GCTI) re-expresses each authority’s real 2026/27 Band D charge as a ratio to the England average Band D (£2,391.52), indexed so that 100 = the England average. GCTI = round(area Band D ÷ England Band D × 100). A GCTI of 110 means the Band D bill in that area is 10% above the England average; 92 means 8% below. The national rank orders all 296 English billing authorities by Band D charge (rank 1 = the highest). Both are pure, reproducible re-expressions of the published MHCLG figures shown on the page — anyone can recompute them.
Why is council tax different in every area?
Each billing authority sets its own Band D charge, and the total also includes precepts from the county council (where there is one), the police and crime commissioner, the fire authority, any adult-social-care precept, and any parish. Councils with more of their spending funded locally (rather than by central grant) tend to have higher Band D charges.
Moving home? Know the band first
Council tax follows the property, so it pays to check the band before you commit. When you move, book a vetted GeraHome cleaner, removals team or handyman to get the new place ready.
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Method & sources
The Gera Council Tax Index (GCTI) re-expresses each authority’s real 2026/27 Band D charge as a ratio to the England average Band D (£2,391.52), indexed so that 100 = the England average. GCTI = round(area Band D ÷ England Band D × 100). A GCTI of 110 means the Band D bill in that area is 10% above the England average; 92 means 8% below. The national rank orders all 296 English billing authorities by Band D charge (rank 1 = the highest). Both are pure, reproducible re-expressions of the published MHCLG figures shown on the page — anyone can recompute them.
Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3). Source: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG). Band D charges and average-per-dwelling figures are published verbatim; per-band figures are a statutory arithmetic transform, not estimates. Full methodology.