We’ve got the insider info on your council tax payments (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
When the cost-of-living is getting so expensive, it’s natural to be curious about how your expenses line up with other people’s bills.
But there’s one payment you can’t do anything to curtail: council tax.
But it might surprise you to know that the area with the highest council tax isn’t in London.
The award for the most expensive council tax in the UK goes to Nottingham, with residents paying Nottingham City Council a whopping £2,226 this year.
How much council tax is your home subject to? (Picture: Getty Images)
In fact, it’s £1397 more than the lowest paying area, which is Westminster – the London Borough home to Downing Street.
Claiming the second stop on the most expensive list is Dorset, with an annual bill of £2,223, closely followed by the one of UK’s smallest counties, Rutland, with a bill of £2,195.
Council Tax isn’t actually the highest in areas with the highest property prices – almost the opposite of this is true.
For example, high-value areas in London like Westminster and Wandsworth actually have some of the lowest council tax rates, at £829 and £845 respectively.
Top ten most expensive council tax areas:
Dorset (South West) – Average band D council tax: £2,223
Rutland (East Midlands) – Average band D council tax: £2,195
Lewes (South East) – Average band D council tax: £2,189
Newark & Sherwood (East Midlands) – Average band D council tax: £2,171
West Devon (South West) – Average band D council tax: £2,167
Bristol (South West) – Average band D council tax: £2,164
Wealden (South East) – Average band D council tax: £2,163
Gateshead (North East) – Average band D council tax: £2,145
Durham (North East) – Average band D council tax: £2,138
Council tax varies so widely because it’s the individual councils that set how much each band pays.
Council tax is a major source of revenue for councils – but they also source income from things like government grants, parking tickets and fines, and leisure centres.
This means that some councils get more money from other sources and can choose to charge lower council tax.
Some areas have also seen big spikes in how much they’re paying.
The area with the biggest increase in council tax is Pembrokeshire with a five-year difference of 40.4%.
Wondering how your payments compare? (Picture: Getty Images)
Pembrokeshire jumped from an average of £1,071 in 2016 to £1,504 in 2022, which is an increase of just over £400.
The second-highest increase belongs to Swindon with a five-year difference of 31.6%. Council tax for band D properties there has risen by £462 in the last five years.
Visit Money.co.uk for more information on council tax, energy bills and property prices.
Top ten areas with highest council tax increase:
Swindon – Five year difference from £1,460 to £1,922
Powys – Five year difference from £1,335 to £1,747
Conwy – Five year difference from £1,342 to £1,737
Flintshire – Five year difference from £1,353 to £1,748
Isle of White – Five year difference from £1,616 to £2,072
Newport – Five year difference from £1,199 to £1,537
Trafford – Five year difference from £1,344 to £1,721
Wrexham – Five year difference from £1,310 to £1,676
Tameside – Five year difference from £1,498 to £1,914
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The area paying the most for council tax surprisingly isn’t found in London.