Hertsmere Council Tax 2026
East of England, England · 45,990 domestic properties
According to MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27, Hertsmere's Band D Council Tax is £2,405.83 for 2026-27, the 183rd highest of 350 UK billing authorities (higher than 48% of them) and 3% above the UK average of £2,337.00. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Hammersmith & Fulham, Three Rivers, Barnet, Wokingham.
How we calculate this rank & percentile
We compare every UK billing authority with a published 2026-27 Band D rate (350 in total). Rank is one plus the number with a higher charge, so equal charges share a rank. Percentile is round(authorities with a lower charge ÷ 350 × 100). The UK average is the simple mean of every council's Band D rate in our coverage set. Because the rank spans all three nations, it compares what each authority charges, not what each charge buys. English bands rest on 1991 property values in eight bands, A to H, while Scotland uses its own 1991 thresholds and Wales revalued to 2003 values with a ninth band. An English Band D home is therefore not the same property profile as a Welsh or Scottish one. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood. See our methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
- £2,405.83
- Band D charge · 2026 statutory
- Above the UK average
- +5.09%
- year-on-year vs £2,289.22
- Middle-half rise
- +2.9%
- vs UK avg £2,337.00
- £4,811.66
- Band H · 18/9 of Band D
Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Hammersmith & Fulham, Three Rivers, Barnet, Wokingham. Open Gravesham for the closest published Band D on the same vintage.
Hertsmere · year-on-year Band D
What changed for Hertsmere
Hertsmere's Band D Council Tax rose from £2,289.22 (2025-26) to £2,405.83 (2026-27). Among 350 billing authorities by percentage rise, it ranks 119.
How to read this Band D change
This is a change in the published Band D charge, not advice about household bills. Precepts, discounts, and banding decide the amount you pay.
See UK year-on-year changesHertsmere bands A-H schedule
Per-band charge 2026
Hertsmere's nearest Band D charges nationwide
Hertsmere is 183rd of 350 on the national Band D list at £2,405.83. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood. The six closest published 2026-27 rates, led by Gravesham, ignore geography on purpose, so a map neighbour is not mistaken for a charge twin. Read the difference column as a pound gap; cross-check the East of England ranking further down when you care about local neighbours, and the stock-weighted average when you care what most of Hertsmere's 45,990 dwellings actually pay. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Hammersmith & Fulham, Three Rivers, Barnet, Wokingham.
| Council | Band D | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Gravesham | £2,408.24 | +£2.41 |
| Amber Valley | £2,407.69 | +£1.86 |
| Oadby & Wigston | £2,406.85 | +£1.02 |
| Worcester | £2,405.81 | −£0.02 |
| Swale | £2,405.65 | −£0.18 |
| Charnwood | £2,405.64 | −£0.19 |
Band A–H charge table (2026/2027)
| Band | Annual Charge | Monthly | Sole occupant (−25%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,603.89 | £160.39 | £1,202.92 |
| B | £1,871.20 | £187.12 | £1,403.40 |
| C | £2,138.52 | £213.85 | £1,603.89 |
| D | £2,405.83 | £240.58 | £1,804.37 |
| E | £2,940.46 | £294.05 | £2,205.35 |
| F | £3,475.09 | £347.51 | £2,606.32 |
| G | £4,009.72 | £400.97 | £3,007.29 |
| H | £4,811.66 | £481.17 | £3,608.75 |
England 1991 valuation ranges (Band A–H)
- Band A: Up to £40,000 (1991 valuation)
- Band B: £40,001 to £52,000
- Band C: £52,001 to £68,000
- Band D: £68,001 to £88,000 (reference band)
- Band E: £88,001 to £120,000
- Band F: £120,001 to £160,000
- Band G: £160,001 to £320,000
- Band H: Over £320,000
Source: MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27 (area Band D) + statutory England band ratios documented in our methodology. Monthly figure is the annual charge / 10 (most councils use 10 monthly instalments). The sole-occupant column applies the statutory 25% single-person discount, payable when only one adult lives in the property.
What Hertsmere's 45,990 properties actually pay
Hertsmere is one of the authorities where Band D genuinely is the commonest band — 14,990 of 45,990 dwellings (32.6%). The headline rate above therefore describes the typical home here, rather than sitting above it as it does in most of the country. Bands D and E between them account for 52.2% of the stock. 24.7% of dwellings on the England valuation list here are banded below D.
Weighting each band's statutory charge by the number of properties in it gives a stock-weighted average of £2,754.58 per dwelling, £348.75 (14.5%) above the £2,405.83 Band D headline. On that measure Hertsmere is 29th of 318 authorities with published stock counts, against a £2,269.00 average. That places Hertsmere 3rd of the 45 billing authorities in East of England, above the regional median of £2,255.65.
How to read this stock pattern
Here the standard Band D benchmark and the most common property group point to the same part of the distribution. That makes Hertsmere less sensitive than most authorities to the familiar criticism that Band D is merely a reference property. The stock-weighted amount is still useful: it incorporates the lower and upper bands instead of treating the modal group as the whole area. It should be read as a corpus comparison, not as the bill of a particular address.
This is a two-band centre rather than a single-band market. Bands D and E together contain 52.2% of dwellings, so neither band should be presented as a complete account of the area. The stock-weighted result combines both groups and the smaller tails into one comparable measure. The table shows where that mean comes from and prevents the distribution being flattened into an overconfident "typical property" claim.
Hertsmere sits in the upper quarter of East of England on the stock-weighted ordering, above the regional median of £2,255.65. This narrows the comparison from a UK rank to authorities facing the same broad regional context, while still correcting each one for its different band mix. The placement says the council's average published stock is relatively costly within that peer set; it does not convert the mean into an individual household charge.
Closest housing-stock shape: Reigate & Banstead
Reigate & Banstead is the nearest available full-distribution peer for Hertsmere, although the match is not tight. Aligning the two published profiles would require 7.2% of dwellings to move between valuation bands. Even the closest council therefore has a materially different housing-stock shape.
Four largest band differences
- The largest separation falls on the reference band itself. Band D contains 32.6% of Hertsmere's stock but 28.1% of Reigate & Banstead's, so the national headline describes more of the local distribution here.
- Another material separation sits at lower Band C, where Reigate & Banstead holds 20.2% of its stock and Hertsmere holds 16.2%. The peer is more bottom-weighted at this rung of the valuation list.
- A smaller distinction is an upper-band difference at Band F. Reigate & Banstead records 11.8% of dwellings there, compared with 10.1% in Hertsmere, so the peer carries more of its stock at that higher rung.
- A smaller distinction appears in the upper part of the ladder at Band E. Hertsmere places 19.6% of dwellings there versus 18.0% for Reigate & Banstead, giving this profile the heavier upper-band tail at that point.
How the wider profile compares
Reigate & Banstead is more concentrated across Bands A to C in aggregate, by 4.0% of its stock. Hertsmere's closest match is therefore achieved despite the peer carrying more homes below the reference band.
Reigate & Banstead carries the heavier upper tail across Bands E and above, exceeding Hertsmere's combined share there by 0.5%. Total-variation distance counts those absolute band gaps without assuming they offset the lower-band pattern.
Both profiles peak in Band D, so the peer match agrees on the most common valuation group as well as the full-distribution distance. The band-by-band gaps above show why a shared mode does not make the profiles interchangeable.
Band A is the most stable point in the comparison, with shares of 1.8% and 1.9%. Reading that near-match beside the largest gaps prevents the peer label from hiding where the two published distributions actually agree.
Show every band direction
- Band A is closely balanced
- Band B is closely balanced
- Band C leans toward Reigate & Banstead
- Band D leans toward Hertsmere
- Band E leans toward Hertsmere
- Band F leans toward Reigate & Banstead
- Band G leans toward Reigate & Banstead
- Band H leans toward Hertsmere
This sequence is read from the lowest published band to the highest.
Other close England matches for Hertsmere: Hammersmith & Fulham (7.6% redistribution distance); Three Rivers (7.8% redistribution distance); Barnet (8.7% redistribution distance); Wokingham (8.8% redistribution distance). Ranked across every published band in the England valuation system, this shortlist shows whether Reigate & Banstead stands alone or sits in a cluster of similarly shaped authorities.
| Band | Properties | Share of stock | Annual charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 820 | 1.8% | £1,603.89 |
| B | 3,110 | 6.8% | £1,871.20 |
| C | 7,450 | 16.2% | £2,138.52 |
| D | 14,990 | 32.6% | £2,405.83 |
| E | 9,000 | 19.6% | £2,940.46 |
| F | 4,640 | 10.1% | £3,475.09 |
| G | 4,750 | 10.3% | £4,009.72 |
| H | 1,230 | 2.7% | £4,811.66 |
Property-stock source, rounding and weighting notes
Property counts: VOA, Council Tax: stock of properties 2025 (Table CTSOP1.0_SUP, as at 9 September 2025), Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts are published rounded to the nearest 10, so shares are approximate and may not sum to exactly 100%. The stock-weighted average is our calculation: each band's 2026/2027 charge multiplied by its property count, divided by the total. It is a mean across the whole stock, not a bill any individual household receives.
Authorities charging a similar average across their stock
These are the closest authorities to Hertsmere on the stock-weighted measure, which is a different ordering from the Band D neighbours above because it accounts for how each area's properties are banded.
- Lewes£2,771.09
- Rother£2,769.67
- Spelthorne£2,766.31
- Vale of White Horse£2,764.08
- Horsham£2,760.42
Hertsmere's nearest year-on-year movers
Hertsmere moved Band D from £2,289.22 to £2,405.83 (+5.09%, competition rank 119th of 350). The closest published movements sit with Bradford, Central Bedfordshire, Torbay.
- Bradford5.10%
- Central Bedfordshire5.10%
- Torbay5.09%
- Welwyn Hatfield5.09%
- West Devon5.09%
- Bracknell Forest5.08%
How Hertsmere compares in East of England
Among the 45 billing authorities in East of England, Hertsmere's 2026-27 Band D charge of £2,405.83 ranks 24th of 45, higher than 47% of them (£14.83 above the East of England average of £2,391.00). Its nearest-charged neighbours in the region:
| Region rank | Council | Band D 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd | Great Yarmouth | £2,414.41 |
| 23rd | Dacorum | £2,408.51 |
| 24th | Hertsmere | £2,405.83 |
| 25th | Stevenage | £2,391.97 |
| 26th | Rochford | £2,363.48 |
Regional rank out of 45 East of England billing authorities by 2026-27 Band D charge (1 = dearest). See the full UK ranking or the complete directory.
Questions answered from Hertsmere's data
These answers use Hertsmere's £2,405.83 Band D rate, the England statutory multipliers, and the VOA stock mix (modal Band D, 24.7% below D).
Is Hertsmere Council Tax above the UK average?
Hertsmere's 2026-27 Band D rate is £2,405.83, 2.9% above the UK average of £2,337.00. It has competition rank 183rd of 350, with equal charges sharing a rank. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood.
Which councils have charges closest to Hertsmere?
The closest published Band D rates are Gravesham (£2,408.24), Amber Valley (£2,407.69), Oadby & Wigston (£2,406.85), Worcester (£2,405.81), Swale (£2,405.65), Charnwood (£2,405.64). The comparison table above shows the six nearest authorities and the exact difference from Hertsmere.
What is the average Council Tax bill in Hertsmere?
Across Hertsmere's 45,990 domestic properties, the stock-weighted average charge is £2,754.58 for 2026-27. That is £348.75 above the £2,405.83 Band D rate, because the most common band here is Band D (32.6% of the stock) and 24.7% of dwellings are banded below D. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Hammersmith & Fulham, Three Rivers, Barnet, Wokingham. Property counts are from the VOA 2025 stock release; the weighting is our calculation.
How did Hertsmere Council Tax change for 2026-27?
Band D moved from £2,289.22 to £2,405.83, a 5.09% rise. Its competition rank by annual increase is 119th of 350; the closest movements include Bradford, Central Bedfordshire, Torbay.
Advice boundary for Hertsmere
They are not personalised advice - expand a question for the figure that matches the tables above for the 2026-27 vintage, then follow the methodology or gov.uk links for a binding bill on a specific property.
Council Tax figure, precept and liability disclaimer
Council Tax charges shown on this page are derived from the published England Band D dataset and statutory England band ratios. They are intended as informational guidance, not as a personalised tax statement or legal advice. Your actual bill depends on your property's assigned band and on any discounts or exemptions that apply to your household. This area Band D is a two-tier total for Hertsmere: district charge plus county, police, fire where separate, and the average parish precept across the district. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Hammersmith & Fulham, Three Rivers, Barnet, Wokingham. For a binding figure consult your Hertsmere Council Tax bill or the official gov.uk Council Tax service. Figures published in 2026 reflect the 2026/2027 financial year only.
UK tools, directories and band challenge
- Compare councils side-by-side →
- Browse all UK councils →
- Band D national rollup →
- Challenge your band guide →
Charges shown for Hertsmere are the area Band D and statutory band multiples, already including county, police, fire and average parish precepts where they apply. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Gravesham, Amber Valley, Oadby & Wigston, Worcester, then Swale, Charnwood.