Highest Council Tax in England 2026-27: Band D by Council
Dorset Council sets the highest Band D council tax among England's 296 billing authorities for 2026-27, at £2,765.02 - about 18% above the £2,337.00 UK authority mean. England's own authority mean is £2,410.97. The cheapest English authority (Wandsworth, £1,028.21) charges 2.69× less than the dearest for the same band.
England's annual referendum principles and adult social care flexibility vary by authority type. These figures include precepting-authority components, so the area Band D movement is not the same as the council's own component or one threshold test.
Ranking derived from our database of UK billing authority charges for the 2026-27 financial year. Last updated: .
50 dearest English authorities by Band D
| # | Council | Band D 2026-27 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorset Council | £2,765.02 | 5.12% |
| 2 | Lewes | £2,756.17 | 4.90% |
| 3 | City of Nottingham | £2,755.39 | 3.73% |
| 4 | Rutland | £2,737.58 | 2.49% |
| 5 | Wealden | £2,728.43 | 4.60% |
| 6 | Gateshead | £2,715.81 | 5.33% |
| 7 | Bristol | £2,713.68 | 5.02% |
| 8 | West Devon | £2,705.33 | 5.09% |
| 9 | Rother | £2,700.95 | 5.45% |
| 10 | Newark & Sherwood | £2,682.10 | 3.87% |
| 11 | Oxford | £2,678.40 | 4.74% |
| 12 | Hastings | £2,676.58 | 4.79% |
| 13 | Liverpool | £2,673.59 | 4.99% |
| 14 | Mid Devon | £2,656.41 | 5.36% |
| 15 | Eastbourne | £2,654.28 | 4.81% |
| 16 | Bassetlaw | £2,644.95 | 4.15% |
| 17 | Rushcliffe | £2,643.27 | 4.42% |
| 18 | Teignbridge | £2,643.12 | 5.18% |
| 19 | North Devon | £2,642.21 | 5.07% |
| 20 | Pendle | £2,640.18 | 4.14% |
| 21 | Walsall | £2,627.48 | 5.17% |
| 22 | Isle of Wight | £2,625.79 | 5.31% |
| 23 | Durham | £2,622.15 | 2.78% |
| 24 | Stockport | £2,618.90 | 5.80% |
| 25 | Broxtowe | £2,618.21 | 4.05% |
| 26 | South Hams | £2,615.22 | 4.96% |
| 27 | Reading | £2,612.77 | 5.05% |
| 28 | Gedling | £2,609.55 | 4.09% |
| 29 | Kingston upon Thames | £2,609.20 | 4.81% |
| 30 | Ashfield | £2,608.76 | 4.07% |
| 31 | Waverley | £2,604.87 | 4.87% |
| 32 | Oldham | £2,602.23 | 5.81% |
| 33 | Torridge | £2,601.42 | 4.93% |
| 34 | Rochdale | £2,600.83 | 5.81% |
| 35 | Mansfield | £2,600.38 | 4.08% |
| 36 | Croydon | £2,599.91 | 4.81% |
| 37 | Woking | £2,598.04 | 4.67% |
| 38 | South Oxfordshire | £2,597.57 | 4.98% |
| 39 | Northumberland | £2,596.94 | 5.37% |
| 40 | East Devon | £2,595.46 | 5.45% |
| 41 | Tandridge | £2,594.85 | 4.99% |
| 42 | Salford | £2,594.45 | 5.81% |
| 43 | Cornwall | £2,590.93 | 5.33% |
| 44 | Stockton-on-Tees | £2,589.83 | 4.90% |
| 45 | Surrey Heath | £2,585.16 | 4.75% |
| 46 | Sefton | £2,583.22 | 4.97% |
| 47 | Cherwell | £2,582.96 | 4.83% |
| 48 | Brighton & Hove | £2,580.54 | 5.04% |
| 49 | Vale of White Horse | £2,577.44 | 4.91% |
| 50 | Preston | £2,575.74 | 3.95% |
Showing the 50 highest of 296 English authorities with a published Band D. For the UK-wide cut, see most expensive UK-wide.
Methodology
This ranking filters the coverage set to authorities whose country is England, sorts by the 2026-27 area Band D charge descending, and lists the 50 highest. Source figures are the official 2026-27 MHCLG area Band D levels including precepts. See our methodology. Data vintage: 2026-08-12.