How much will council tax go up?

Almost all councils in England and Wales plan to raise their council tax by the maximum allowed to deal with a local funding crisis, new analysis shows.

Of 136 local authorities that have declared their proposals, all but eight want to increase residents’ bills in April by 4.99% or more.

No council has said it will not raise fees, with the smallest proposed increase being 2.99 per cent. A total of 17 authorities have yet to declare their plans, while four have special exemption to raise council tax by 10% after entering a state of financial crisis.

Otherwise, councils are legally required to hold a local referendum if they want to exceed 4.99%. The figures are a sign that councils are finding it increasingly difficult to keep services running, with the Government under pressure to do more to “fix a £4 billion hole” in local authority finances.

The County Councils Network (CCN) said research since this time last year showed 75% of councils intend to impose the maximum possible increase. In figures released this week, that number rose to 94%.

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Which councils are imposing the biggest tax increases?

Councils in Birmingham, Woking, Slough and Thurrock could face the biggest increases in council tax as they have been granted special relief by central government to increase the rate by 10% in total.

Some are yet to confirm their plans, but in its budget proposals for 2024/5 and 2025/6, Birmingham City Council said a 9.99% rise is planned for both years.

By December, Slough Borough Council had committed to the standard maximum rise of 4.99%, the Slough Express reported, despite being warned by the government that it should rise by 9.99%.

Thurrock Council has resisted calls to increase council tax by 9.99%, opting instead for 7.99%.

Which areas will have the smallest council tax rises?

According to the CCN, the local authorities with the lowest planned increases are Hartlepool (2.99%), Rotherham (3.5%), Torbay (4.75%), Nottinghamshire (4.84%), South Tyneside (4.95 %), Leeds (4.98%). , Barnet (4.98%) and Warrington (4.98%).

How much will your council tax go up?

Here’s a table of the planned council tax rises, based on the CCN’s findings published on 20 February. Blank spaces mean councils have not yet finalized their plans.

• Barking and Dagenham: 4.99%

• Barnet: 4.98%

• Barnsley: 4.99%

• Bath and NE Somerset:

• Bedford: 4.99%

• Bexley: 4.99%

• Birmingham: 9.99%

• Black burn: 4.99%

• Blackpool: 4.99%

• Screw on:

• Bournemouth: 4.99%

• Bracknell Forest: 4.99%

• Bradford: 4.99%

• Brent: 4.99%

• Brighton and Hove: 4.99%

• Bristol: 4.99%

• Bromley: 4.99%

• Buckinghamshire: 4.99%

• Bury: 4.99%

• Calderdale: 4.99%

• Cambridgeshire: 4.99%

• Camden:

• Central beds: 4.99%

• Cheshire East: 4.99%

• Cheshire West: 4.99%

• City of London:

• Cornwall: 4.99%

• Coventry: 4.99%

• Croydon: 4.99%

• Cumberland Council: 4.99%

• Darlington: 4.99%

• Derby: 4.99%

• Derbyshire: 4.99%

• Devon: 4.99%

• Doncaster: 4.99%

• Dorset: 4.99%

• Dudley: 4.99%

• Durham: 4.99%

• Ealing: 4.99%

• East Riding: 4.99%

• East Sussex: 4.99%

• Enfield: 4.99%

• Essex: 4.99%

• Gateshead:

• Gloucestershire: 4.99%

• Greenwich: 4.99%

• Hackney:

• Halton: 4.99%

• Hammersmith and Fulham:

• Hampshire: 4.99%

• Haringey: 4.99%

• Harrow: 4.99%

• Hartlepool: 2.99%

• Havering: 4.99%

• Herefordshire: 4.99%

• Hertfordshire: 4.99%

• Hillingdon: 4.99%

• Hounslow: 4.99%

• Shell: 4.99%

• Isle of Wight: 4.99%

• Isle of Scilly:

• Islington: 4.99%

• Kensington and Chelsea: 4.99%

• Kent: 4.99%

• Kingston Upon Thames: 4.99%

• Kirklees: 4.99%

• Knowsley: 4.99%

• Lambeth: 4.99%

• Lancashire: 4.99%

• Leeds: 4.98%

• Leicester: 4.99%

• Leicestershire: 4.99%

• Lewisham: 4.99%

• Lincolnshire: 4.99%

• Liverpool: 4.99%

• Luton: 4.99%

• Manchester: 4.99%

• Medway:

• Merton: 4.99%

• Middlesborough: 4.99%

• Milton Keynes: 4.99%

• Newcastle: 4.99%

• Newham: 4.99%

• Norfolk: 4.99%

• North East Lincolnshire:

• North Lincolnshire:

• North Somerset: 4.99%

• North Tyneside: 4.99%

• North Yorkshire: 4.99%

• North Northamptonshire: 4.99%

• Northumberland: 4.99%

• Nottingham: 4.99%

• Nottinghamshire: 4.84%

• Oldham: 4.99%

• Oxfordshire: 4.99%

• Peterborough: 4.99%

• Plymouth: 4.99%

• Portsmouth: 4.99%

• Reading: 4.99%

• Redbridge: 4.99%

• Redcar and Cleveland: 4.99%

• Richmond:

• Rochdale: 4.99%

• Rotherham: 3.5%

• Rutland: 4.99%

• Salford: 4.99%

• Sandwell: 4.99%

• Sefton: 4.99%

• Sheffield:

• Shropshire: 4.99%

• Slough:

• Solihull: 4.99%

• Somerset: 4.99%

• South Gloucestershire: 4.99%

• South Tyneside: 4.95%

• Southampton: 4.99%

• South End: 4.99%

• Southwark: 4.99%

• St. Helen:

• Staffordshire: 4.99%

• Stockport: 4.99%

• Stockton-on-Tees: 4.99%

• Stoke: 4.99%

• Suffolk: 4.99%

• Sunderland: 4.99%

• Surrey: 4.99%

• Sutton: 4.99%

• Swindon: 4.99%

• Tameside: 4.99%

• Telford and Wrekin: 4.99%

• Thurrock: 7.99%

• Torbay: 4.75%

• Tower Hamlets: 4.99%

• Trafford: 4.99%

• Wakefield: 4.99%

• Walsall: 4.99%

• Waltham Forest: 4.99%

• Wandsworth:

• Warrington: 4.98%

• Warwickshire: 4.99%

• West Berkshire: 4.99%

• West Northamptonshire: 4.99%

• West Sussex: 4.99%

• Westminster: 4.99%

• Westmorland and Furness: 4.99%

• Wigan: 4.99%

• Wiltshire: 4.99%

• Windsor and Maidenhead: 4.99%

• Wirral: 4.99%

• Wokingham:

• Wolverhampton: 4.99%

• Worcestershire: 4.99%

• York: 4.99%