West Suffolk Council Tax 2026
East of England, England · 84,670 domestic properties
According to MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27, West Suffolk's Band D Council Tax is £2,351.47 for 2026-27, the 218th highest of 350 UK billing authorities (higher than 38% of them) and 1% above the UK average of £2,337.00. Nearest published Band D rates sit with West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Blaby, Gosport, Redditch, Dover.
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 West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire. See our methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
- £2,351.47
- Band D charge · 2026 statutory
- Near the UK average
- +4.84%
- year-on-year vs £2,243.00
- Middle-half rise
- +0.6%
- vs UK avg £2,337.00
- £4,702.94
- Band H · 18/9 of Band D
Nearest published Band D rates sit with West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Blaby, Gosport, Redditch, Dover. Open West Lindsey for the closest published Band D on the same vintage.
West Suffolk · year-on-year Band D
What changed for West Suffolk
West Suffolk's Band D Council Tax rose from £2,243.00 (2025-26) to £2,351.47 (2026-27). Among 350 billing authorities by percentage rise, it ranks 195.
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 changesWest Suffolk bands A-H schedule
Per-band charge 2026
West Suffolk's nearest Band D charges nationwide
West Suffolk is 218th of 350 on the national Band D list at £2,351.47. Nearest published Band D rates sit with West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire. The six closest published 2026-27 rates, led by West Lindsey, 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 West Suffolk's 84,670 dwellings actually pay. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Blaby, Gosport, Redditch, Dover.
| Council | Band D | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| West Lindsey | £2,354.25 | +£2.78 |
| Lichfield | £2,351.90 | +£0.43 |
| Powys | £2,351.72 | +£0.25 |
| East Staffordshire | £2,351.34 | −£0.13 |
| Carmarthenshire | £2,351.20 | −£0.27 |
| North Lincolnshire | £2,348.46 | −£3.01 |
Band A–H charge table (2026/2027)
| Band | Annual Charge | Monthly | Sole occupant (−25%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,567.65 | £156.77 | £1,175.74 |
| B | £1,828.92 | £182.89 | £1,371.69 |
| C | £2,090.20 | £209.02 | £1,567.65 |
| D | £2,351.47 | £235.15 | £1,763.60 |
| E | £2,874.02 | £287.40 | £2,155.52 |
| F | £3,396.57 | £339.66 | £2,547.43 |
| G | £3,919.12 | £391.91 | £2,939.34 |
| H | £4,702.94 | £470.29 | £3,527.21 |
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 West Suffolk's 84,670 properties actually pay
West Suffolk's housing stock peaks below the reference point, in Band B, which covers 29,120 of 84,670 dwellings (34.4%). 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 55.1% of the stock. 70.2% 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 £2,127.87 per dwelling, £223.60 (9.5%) below the £2,351.47 Band D headline, because most of the stock sits in bands charged at less than the Band D rate. On that measure West Suffolk is 205th of 318 authorities with published stock counts, against a £2,269.00 average. That places West Suffolk 32nd of the 45 billing authorities in East of England, below the regional median of £2,255.65.
How to read this stock pattern
West Suffolk'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 70.2% 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 55.1% 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.
West Suffolk occupies the middle half of the East of England stock-weighted distribution, below its £2,255.65 median. The regional result gives more context than a UK-wide rank without turning the difference into a superlative. It also shows that the council's band mix, not only its published Band D rate, determines where it sits among nearby authorities. The remaining distance from the median is an area-level comparison rather than a household saving or premium.
Closest housing-stock shape: Hinckley & Bosworth
Hinckley & Bosworth is the closest full-distribution match for West Suffolk. The profiles are close rather than identical: 3.8% of dwellings would need to shift between valuation bands for their published shares to align. The comparison therefore tests the whole ladder, not just the largest band.
Four largest band differences
- The largest separation is lower on the ladder at Band B: West Suffolk has 34.4% of dwellings there, against 31.4% in Hinckley & Bosworth. That extra lower-band weight pulls its stock profile away from the peer.
- A smaller distinction sits at lower Band A, where Hinckley & Bosworth holds 16.9% of its stock and West Suffolk holds 15.1%. The peer is more bottom-weighted at this rung of the valuation list.
- A smaller distinction sits at lower Band C, where Hinckley & Bosworth holds 21.8% of its stock and West Suffolk holds 20.7%. The peer is more bottom-weighted at this rung of the valuation list.
- A smaller distinction is an upper-band difference at Band F. Hinckley & Bosworth records 4.5% of dwellings there, compared with 3.6% in West Suffolk, so the peer carries more of its stock at that higher rung.
How the wider profile compares
Across Bands A to C the combined shares differ by only 0.1%. That net figure can hide opposing band-level gaps, so the individual Band A, B and C comparisons above remain the safer guide to where the lower-band stock differs.
Across Bands E and above the combined shares differ by 0.4%. 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 E is the most stable point in the comparison, with shares of 8.8% and 8.8%. 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 Hinckley & Bosworth
- Band B leans toward West Suffolk
- Band C leans toward Hinckley & Bosworth
- Band D is closely balanced
- Band E is closely balanced
- Band F leans toward Hinckley & Bosworth
- Band G is closely balanced
- Band H is closely balanced
This sequence is read from the lowest published band to the highest.
Other close England matches for West Suffolk: Blaby (5.2% redistribution distance); Gosport (6.4% redistribution distance); Redditch (6.7% redistribution distance); Dover (6.9% redistribution distance). Ranked across every published band in the England valuation system, this shortlist shows whether Hinckley & Bosworth stands alone or sits in a cluster of similarly shaped authorities.
| Band | Properties | Share of stock | Annual charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 12,760 | 15.1% | £1,567.65 |
| B | 29,120 | 34.4% | £1,828.92 |
| C | 17,520 | 20.7% | £2,090.20 |
| D | 12,460 | 14.7% | £2,351.47 |
| E | 7,440 | 8.8% | £2,874.02 |
| F | 3,060 | 3.6% | £3,396.57 |
| G | 2,110 | 2.5% | £3,919.12 |
| H | 200 | 0.2% | £4,702.94 |
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 West Suffolk 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.
- Preston£2,137.23
- Trafford£2,134.58
- South Derbyshire£2,131.41
- Breckland£2,126.61
- Walsall£2,123.22
West Suffolk's nearest year-on-year movers
West Suffolk moved Band D from £2,243.00 to £2,351.47 (+4.84%, competition rank 195th of 350). The closest published movements sit with Babergh, Crawley, Exeter.
How West Suffolk compares in East of England
Among the 45 billing authorities in East of England, West Suffolk's 2026-27 Band D charge of £2,351.47 ranks 27th of 45, higher than 40% of them (£39.53 below the East of England average of £2,391.00). Its nearest-charged neighbours in the region:
| Region rank | Council | Band D 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| 25th | Stevenage | £2,391.97 |
| 26th | Rochford | £2,363.48 |
| 27th | West Suffolk | £2,351.47 |
| 28th | Babergh | £2,341.55 |
| 29th | East Suffolk | £2,334.80 |
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 West Suffolk's data
These answers use West Suffolk's £2,351.47 Band D rate, the England statutory multipliers, and the VOA stock mix (modal Band B, 70.2% below D).
Is West Suffolk Council Tax above the UK average?
West Suffolk's 2026-27 Band D rate is £2,351.47, 0.6% above the UK average of £2,337.00. It has competition rank 218th of 350, with equal charges sharing a rank. Nearest published Band D rates sit with West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire.
Which councils have charges closest to West Suffolk?
The closest published Band D rates are West Lindsey (£2,354.25), Lichfield (£2,351.90), Powys (£2,351.72), East Staffordshire (£2,351.34), Carmarthenshire (£2,351.20), North Lincolnshire (£2,348.46). The comparison table above shows the six nearest authorities and the exact difference from West Suffolk.
What is the average Council Tax bill in West Suffolk?
Across West Suffolk's 84,670 domestic properties, the stock-weighted average charge is £2,127.87 for 2026-27. That is £223.60 below the £2,351.47 Band D rate, because the most common band here is Band B (34.4% of the stock) and 70.2% of dwellings are banded below D. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Blaby, Gosport, Redditch, Dover. Property counts are from the VOA 2025 stock release; the weighting is our calculation.
How did West Suffolk Council Tax change for 2026-27?
Band D moved from £2,243.00 to £2,351.47, a 4.84% rise. Its competition rank by annual increase is 195th of 350; the closest movements include Babergh, Crawley, Exeter.
Advice boundary for West Suffolk
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 West Suffolk: district charge plus county, police, fire where separate, and the average parish precept across the district. Nearest published Band D rates sit with West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire. Closest published housing-stock shapes include Blaby, Gosport, Redditch, Dover. For a binding figure consult your West Suffolk 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 West Suffolk 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 West Lindsey, Lichfield, Powys, East Staffordshire, then Carmarthenshire, North Lincolnshire.