Torbay Council Tax 2026
South West, England · 68,900 domestic properties
According to MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27, Torbay's Band D Council Tax is £2,470.25 for 2026-27, the 124th highest of 350 UK billing authorities (higher than 65% of them) and 6% above the UK average of £2,337.00. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Exeter, Brighton & Hove, North Norfolk, Staffordshire Moorlands.
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 Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich. See our methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
- £2,470.25
- Band D charge · 2026 statutory
- Above the UK average
- +5.09%
- year-on-year vs £2,350.64
- Middle-half rise
- +5.7%
- vs UK avg £2,337.00
- £4,940.50
- Band H · 18/9 of Band D
Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Exeter, Brighton & Hove, North Norfolk, Staffordshire Moorlands. Open Conwy for the closest published Band D on the same vintage.
Torbay · year-on-year Band D
What changed for Torbay
Torbay's Band D Council Tax rose from £2,350.64 (2025-26) to £2,470.25 (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 changesTorbay bands A-H schedule
Per-band charge 2026
Torbay's nearest Band D charges nationwide
Torbay is 124th of 350 on the national Band D list at £2,470.25. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich. The six closest published 2026-27 rates, led by Conwy, 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 South West ranking further down when you care about local neighbours, and the stock-weighted average when you care what most of Torbay's 68,900 dwellings actually pay. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Exeter, Brighton & Hove, North Norfolk, Staffordshire Moorlands.
| Council | Band D | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Conwy | £2,472.82 | +£2.57 |
| Tonbridge & Malling | £2,471.83 | +£1.58 |
| Bedford | £2,471.74 | +£1.49 |
| Chichester | £2,469.68 | −£0.57 |
| Gwynedd | £2,468.77 | −£1.48 |
| Ipswich | £2,468.25 | −£2.00 |
Band A–H charge table (2026/2027)
| Band | Annual Charge | Monthly | Sole occupant (−25%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,646.83 | £164.68 | £1,235.12 |
| B | £1,921.31 | £192.13 | £1,440.98 |
| C | £2,195.78 | £219.58 | £1,646.84 |
| D | £2,470.25 | £247.03 | £1,852.69 |
| E | £3,019.19 | £301.92 | £2,264.39 |
| F | £3,568.14 | £356.81 | £2,676.11 |
| G | £4,117.08 | £411.71 | £3,087.81 |
| H | £4,940.50 | £494.05 | £3,705.38 |
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 Torbay's 68,900 properties actually pay
Torbay's housing stock peaks below the reference point, in Band B, which covers 17,850 of 68,900 dwellings (25.9%). A Band B home is charged at seven-ninths of the Band D rate, which is why the typical bill here lands under the headline figure. Bands B and C between them account for 50.8% of the stock. 70.9% 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 £2,212.95 per dwelling, £257.30 (10.4%) below the £2,470.25 Band D headline, because most of the stock sits in bands charged at less than the Band D rate. On that measure Torbay is 174th of 318 authorities with published stock counts, against a £2,269.00 average. That places Torbay 24th of the 27 billing authorities in South West, below the regional median of £2,376.53.
How to read this stock pattern
Torbay's largest property group sits in the lower half of the valuation ladder rather than at the Band D reference used in national tables. Its modal Band B charge is seven-ninths of the Band D rate, and 70.9% of the published stock lies below D. The headline alone does not show how often each band occurs. The stock-weighted amount applies the full distribution for an area-level comparison, while remaining an average rather than a household quotation.
This is a two-band centre rather than a single-band market. Bands B and C together contain 50.8% 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.
Torbay falls in the lower quarter of the South West stock-weighted ordering, below the regional median of £2,376.53. Its Band D figure may sit elsewhere in the national table, but applying the local stock mix produces a cheaper regional comparison. That difference is precisely why both measures are shown. Neither replaces an address-level bill, which depends on the property's valuation band and any applicable reductions.
Closest housing-stock shape: South Ribble
South Ribble is an exceptionally close stock-shape match for Torbay: moving 1.8% of dwellings between valuation bands would make the two published distributions align. That is a stricter comparison than sharing a modal band, because all published bands contribute to the distance.
Four largest band differences
- The largest separation is at reference Band D: its share is 15.6% in Torbay and 16.5% in South Ribble. The familiar benchmark represents a larger slice of the peer's housing stock.
- A smaller distinction is lower on the ladder at Band A: Torbay has 20.0% of dwellings there, against 19.3% in South Ribble. That extra lower-band weight pulls its stock profile away from the peer.
- A smaller distinction is an upper-band difference at Band E. South Ribble records 8.6% of dwellings there, compared with 7.9% in Torbay, 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 G. Torbay places 1.9% of dwellings there versus 1.2% for South Ribble, giving this profile the heavier upper-band tail at that point.
How the wider profile compares
Torbay has the stronger combined lower-band tilt: Bands A to C account for 0.6% more of its stock than they do in South Ribble. The nearest match still leaves that bottom-of-ladder difference visible.
Across Bands E and above the combined shares differ by 0.3%. As with the lower bands, this net comparison does not erase any opposing gaps between individual upper bands.
Both profiles peak in Band B, 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 B is the most stable point in the comparison, with shares of 25.9% and 25.9%. 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 leans toward Torbay
- Band B is closely balanced
- Band C is closely balanced
- Band D leans toward South Ribble
- Band E leans toward South Ribble
- Band F is closely balanced
- Band G leans toward Torbay
- Band H is closely balanced
This sequence is read from the lowest published band to the highest.
Other close England matches for Torbay: Exeter (2.8% redistribution distance); Brighton & Hove (4.1% redistribution distance); North Norfolk (4.1% redistribution distance); Staffordshire Moorlands (4.5% redistribution distance). Ranked across every published band in the England valuation system, this shortlist shows whether South Ribble stands alone or sits in a cluster of similarly shaped authorities.
| Band | Properties | Share of stock | Annual charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 13,790 | 20.0% | £1,646.83 |
| B | 17,850 | 25.9% | £1,921.31 |
| C | 17,180 | 24.9% | £2,195.78 |
| D | 10,760 | 15.6% | £2,470.25 |
| E | 5,460 | 7.9% | £3,019.19 |
| F | 2,420 | 3.5% | £3,568.14 |
| G | 1,300 | 1.9% | £4,117.08 |
| H | 140 | 0.2% | £4,940.50 |
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 Torbay 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.
- North Norfolk£2,218.33
- Pembrokeshire£2,214.87
- Basildon£2,214.48
- Cheltenham£2,210.64
- Swale£2,208.77
Torbay's nearest year-on-year movers
Torbay moved Band D from £2,350.64 to £2,470.25 (+5.09%, competition rank 119th of 350). The closest published movements sit with Bradford, Central Bedfordshire, Hertsmere.
- Bradford5.10%
- Central Bedfordshire5.10%
- Hertsmere5.09%
- Welwyn Hatfield5.09%
- West Devon5.09%
- Bracknell Forest5.08%
How Torbay compares in South West
Among the 27 billing authorities in South West, Torbay's 2026-27 Band D charge of £2,470.25 ranks 17th of 27, higher than 37% of them (£40.75 below the South West average of £2,511.00). Its nearest-charged neighbours in the region:
| Region rank | Council | Band D 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| 15th | Stroud | £2,491.36 |
| 16th | North Somerset | £2,491.22 |
| 17th | Torbay | £2,470.25 |
| 18th | Forest of Dean | £2,443.42 |
| 19th | Plymouth | £2,441.85 |
Regional rank out of 27 South West billing authorities by 2026-27 Band D charge (1 = dearest). See the full UK ranking or the complete directory.
Questions answered from Torbay's data
These answers use Torbay's £2,470.25 Band D rate, the England statutory multipliers, and the VOA stock mix (modal Band B, 70.9% below D).
Is Torbay Council Tax above the UK average?
Torbay's 2026-27 Band D rate is £2,470.25, 5.7% above the UK average of £2,337.00. It has competition rank 124th of 350, with equal charges sharing a rank. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich.
Which councils have charges closest to Torbay?
The closest published Band D rates are Conwy (£2,472.82), Tonbridge & Malling (£2,471.83), Bedford (£2,471.74), Chichester (£2,469.68), Gwynedd (£2,468.77), Ipswich (£2,468.25). The comparison table above shows the six nearest authorities and the exact difference from Torbay.
What is the average Council Tax bill in Torbay?
Across Torbay's 68,900 domestic properties, the stock-weighted average charge is £2,212.95 for 2026-27. That is £257.30 below the £2,470.25 Band D rate, because the most common band here is Band B (25.9% of the stock) and 70.9% of dwellings are banded below D. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Exeter, Brighton & Hove, North Norfolk, Staffordshire Moorlands. Property counts are from the VOA 2025 stock release; the weighting is our calculation.
How did Torbay Council Tax change for 2026-27?
Band D moved from £2,350.64 to £2,470.25, a 5.09% rise. Its competition rank by annual increase is 119th of 350; the closest movements include Bradford, Central Bedfordshire, Hertsmere.
Advice boundary for Torbay
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. Torbay is unitary, so this figure combines its own charge (including adult social care) with police and fire precepts where separate, plus any average parish precept. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Exeter, Brighton & Hove, North Norfolk, Staffordshire Moorlands. For a binding figure consult your Torbay 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 Torbay are the area Band D and statutory band multiples with no county tier. Nearest published Band D rates sit with Conwy, Tonbridge & Malling, Bedford, Chichester, then Gwynedd, Ipswich.