News Story

All 153 top-tier local authorities in England have confirmed the amount by which they are raising council tax for the financial year 2026/27.

Local authorities can increase council tax by as much as 4.99% year on year without the need for a referendum of residents.

Seven authorities were this year given permission by the Government to raise council tax by more than 4.99%: Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (by as much as 6.74%); North Somerset (8.99%); Shropshire (8.99%); Trafford (7.49%); Warrington (7.49%); Windsor & Maidenhead (7.49%); and Worcestershire (8.99%).

Some 28 of the 153 top-tier authorities nearly one in five have decided not to raise council tax by 4.99% and voted for a smaller figure.

These range from 4.98% in the London borough of Barnet to 1.98% in Hartlepool.

Here is the full list of confirmed council tax rises for 2026/27 by top-tier local authorities in England.

The list has been compiled by the Press Association.

It covers county councils, London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs and unitary authorities.

It does not include lower-tier district councils.

The list is divided into four sections, corresponding to the types of top-tier authority, with each section arranged alphabetically.

The political control of each authority is also listed, with details of whether the ruling party runs a majority or minority administration, or if there is a multi-party agreement.

County councils

Cambridgeshire (Eastern England), Lib Dem majority: 4.99% Derbyshire (East Midlands), Ref maj: 4.90% Devon (SW England), Lib Dem minority: 4.99% East Sussex (SE England), Con min: 4.99% Essex (Eastern England), Con maj: 3.95% Gloucestershire (SW England), Lib Dem min: 4.99% Hampshire (SE England), Con maj: 4.99% Hertfordshire (Eastern England), Lib Dem min: 4.99% Kent (SE England), Ref maj: 3.99% Lancashire (NW England), Ref maj: 3.80% Leicestershire (East Midlands), Ref min: 2.99% Lincolnshire (East Midlands), Ref maj: 2.90% Norfolk (Eastern England), Con maj: 4.99% Nottinghamshire (East Midlands), Ref maj: 3.99% Oxfordshire (SE England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Staffordshire (West Midlands), Ref maj: 3.99% Suffolk (Eastern England), Con maj: 4.99% Surrey (SE England), Con min: 4.99% Warwickshire (West Midlands), Ref min: 4.40% West Sussex (SE England), Con maj: 4.99% Worcestershire (West Midlands), Ref min: 8.98%

London boroughs

Barking & Dagenham, Lab maj: 4.99% Barnet, Lab maj: 4.98% Bexley, Con maj: 4.99% Brent, Lab maj: 4.99% Bromley, Con maj: 4.99% Camden, Lab maj: 4.99% City of London, Ind maj: 4.99% Croydon, Con min: 4.99% Ealing, Lab maj: 4.99% Enfield, Lab maj: 4.99% Greenwich, Lab maj: 4.99% Hackney, Lab maj: 4.99% Hammersmith & Fulham, Lab maj: 4.99% Haringey, Lab maj: 4.99% Harrow, Con maj: 4.99% Havering, Residents min: 4.99% Hillingdon, Con maj: 4.99% Hounslow, Lab maj: 4.99% Islington, Lab maj: 4.99% Kensington & Chelsea, Con maj: 4.99% Kingston-upon-Thames, Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Lambeth, Lab maj: 4.99% Lewisham, Lab maj: 4.99% Merton, Lab maj: 2.00% Newham, Lab maj: 4.99% Redbridge, Lab maj: 4.99% Richmond-upon-Thames, Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Southwark, Lab maj: 4.99% Sutton, Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Tower Hamlets, Aspire maj: 4.99% Waltham Forest, Lab maj: 4.99% Wandsworth, Lab maj: 2.00% Westminster, Lab maj: 2.00%

Metropolitan boroughs

Barnsley (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 3.40% Birmingham (West Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99% Bolton (NW England), Lab min: 4.99% Bradford (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 4.99% Bury (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Calderdale (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 4.99% Coventry (West Midlands), Lab maj: 3.95% Doncaster (Yorkshire & Humber), Ref maj: 2.00% Dudley (West Midlands), Con min: 4.99% Gateshead (NE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Kirklees (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab min: 4.99% Knowsley (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Leeds (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 4.99% Liverpool (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Manchester (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Newcastle-upon-Tyne (NE England), Lab min: 4.99% North Tyneside (NE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Oldham (NW England), Lab min: 4.99% Rochdale (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Rotherham (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 3.95% Salford (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Sandwell (West Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99% Sefton (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Sheffield (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab-Lib Dem-Green: 4.99% Solihull (West Midlands), Con maj: 4.99% South Tyneside (NE England), Lab min: 4.95% St Helens (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Stockport (NW England), Lib Dem min: 4.99% Sunderland (NE England), Lab maj: 4.50% Tameside (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Trafford (NW England), Lab maj: 7.49% Wakefield (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 4.99% Walsall (West Midlands), Con maj: 4.99% Wigan (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Wirral (NW England), Lab min: 4.99% Wolverhampton (West Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99%

Unitary authorities

Bath & North East Somerset (SW England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Bedford (Eastern England), Con min: 4.99% Blackburn with Darwen (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Blackpool (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (SW England), Lib Dem-Ind: 6.74% Bracknell Forest (SE England), Lab min: 4.99% Brighton & Hove (SE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Bristol (SW England), Green-Lib Dem: 4.99% Buckinghamshire (SE England), Con min: 4.99% Central Bedfordshire (Eastern England), Ind min: 4.99% Cheshire East (NW England), Lab-Ind: 4.99% Cheshire West & Chester (NW England), Lab min: 4.99% Cornwall (SW England), Lib Dem-Ind: 4.99% Cumberland (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Darlington (NE England), Lab-Lib Dem: 4.99% Derby (East Midlands), Lab min: 4.99% Dorset (SW England), Lib Dem-Green: 4.99% Durham (NE England), Ref maj: 1.99% East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire & Humber), Con min: 4.99% Halton (NW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Hartlepool (NE England), Lab maj: 1.98% Herefordshire (West Midlands), Con min: 4.99% Hull (Yorkshire & Humber), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Isle of Wight (SE England), Ind-Green: 4.99% Isles of Scilly (SW England), Ind: 4.99% Leicester (East Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99% Luton (Eastern England), Lab maj: 4.99% Medway (SE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Middlesbrough (NE England), Lab maj: 2.00% Milton Keynes (SE England), Lab maj: 4.99% North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire & Humber), Con min: 4.50% North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire & Humber), Con maj: 4.70% North Northamptonshire (East Midlands), Ref maj: 4.99% North Somerset (SW England), Lab-Lib Dem-Green-Ind: 8.99% North Yorkshire (Yorkshire & Humber), Con min: 4.99% Northumberland (NE England), Con min: 4.99% Nottingham (East Midlands), Lab maj: 3.50% Peterborough (Eastern England), Lab min: 4.99% Plymouth (SW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Portsmouth (SE England), Lib Dem min: 4.99% Reading (SE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Redcar & Cleveland (NE England), Lab min: 4.99% Rutland (East Midlands), Lib Dem min: 2.00% Shropshire (West Midlands), Lib Dem maj: 8.99% Slough (SE England), Con min: 4.99% Somerset (SW England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% South Gloucestershire (SW England), Lib Dem-Lab: 4.99% Southampton (SE England), Lab maj: 4.99% Southend-on-Sea (Eastern England), Lab-Lib Dem-Ind: 4.99% Stockton-on-Tees (NE England), Lab min: 4.95% Stoke-on-Trent (West Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99% Swindon (SW England), Lab maj: 4.99% Telford & Wrekin (West Midlands), Lab maj: 4.99% Thurrock (Eastern England), Lab maj: 4.99% Torbay (SW England), Con min: 4.99% Warrington (NW England), Lab maj: 7.48% West Berkshire (SE England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% West Northamptonshire (East Midlands), Ref maj: 4.95% Westmorland & Furness (NW England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% Wiltshire (SW England), Lib Dem-Ind: 4.99% Windsor & Maidenhead (SE England), Lib Dem maj: 7.49% Wokingham (SE England), Lib Dem maj: 4.99% York (Yorkshire & Humber), Lab maj: 4.99%