The number of local authorities in England looking to impose the maximum council tax increase has fallen this year, but many are still planning sharp rises.
In all, 119 of the 153 upper-tier authorities have either proposed or confirmed a rise of 4.99% for 2026-27 – the largest increase possible without holding a local referendum, according to analysis by the Press Association.
Reminder: Upper-tier authorities include county councils, London boroughs, Metropolitan boroughs and unitary authorities.
Six councils with acute financial challenges are likely to increase council tax beyond this level after getting special government permission.
This means 125 authorities – 82% of the total – are planning a rise of at least 4.99%, down from 134 (88%) last year.
Of those councils given permission to raise council tax above the 4.99% threshold, North Somerset and Shropshire have both proposed the highest increase of 8.99%, followed by Worcestershire with 8.98%.
Read more:
How to dispute your council tax band
Money newsletter
No ‘free tickets’ on council tax under Reform
The town bracing for UK’s biggest council tax rise of almost 16%
Most areas set to increase council tax by at least 4.99% from April
The other three councils considering increases of above 4.99% are Trafford and Warrington, both run by Labour, along with Lib Dem-controlled Windsor & Maidenhead.
All three have been given the right to raise the tax by up to 7.49%.
Here are some of the other key takeaways from the analysis:
Council tax bills will rise from 1 April – search our table of local authorities in England to see how much yours is set to increase by…
We don’t currently have a comprehensive guide to the rises coming away from England, but almost a third of local authorities across Scotland have confirmed above-inflation council tax increases for 2026-27.
Residents in Aberdeenshire and Moray will see the steepest hikes of 10%.
Some councils across Wales have also confirmed tax rises. In Caerphilly, a 6.5% increase has been approved, while Merthyr Tydfil residents will see their rate rise by 4.95%.
