Virtually every council in England is seeking hefty council tax rises with swathes of Britons set to pay hundreds more, a shocking map has revealed.
Councils are usually only allowed to raise council tax by 4.99 per cent each year without triggering an election.
But there is a legal loophole that allows a larger rise without an election, so long as Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, signs off on it.
Yesterday Labour’s Deputy PM approved council tax rises of over 5 per cent for six authorities. They are Bradford (10 per cent), Newham (9 per cent), Windsor and Maidenhead (9 per cent), Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford (all 7.5 per cent).
Rayner rejected several other authorities from raising council tax by over 5 per cent, including Hampshire Council (seeking a 15 per cent rise) Cheshire East (seeking a 10 per cent rise) and Slough (seeking a 10 per cent rise).
Councils whose claims were rejected will now raise their council tax by 4.99 per cent, in line with almost every other council.
GB News has collated the data from every council in England and generated a map showing council tax charges across the country for 2025/26.
The map is colour coded by how much extra residents will be paying in council tax in 2025/2026.
We calculated this by collecting every authority’s Band D council tax rate in 2024/25 and then adding the rise they have applied for to that number.
Despite most councils seeking a 4.99 per cent rise, the actual amount bills are increasing by varies hugely thanks to the fact there was up to £600 regional difference in Band D council tax rates last year.
By hovering over your area, you will see how much is being added to your bill, followed by the rise in percentage terms, and the total bill for 2025/26.
Also included is the Mayor of London increase, applicable to the capital only.
Council tax rises 2025/2026
GBN
The map reveals 103 of 207 authorities in England are raising council tax by more than £100 next year.
Bradford residents will be hit with the largest council tax increase this year (£205) followed by Slough and Newham (both £174.74) and Somerset (£170.03).
Authorities seeking the largest council tax increases
GBN
In terms of which councils will be charging the most for council tax overall in 2025/26, it is the authorities with the most expensive rates in 2024/25 that dominate the top ten.
This is because a 4.99 per cent rise applied to council tax rates of around £2,500pa gives a higher figure than larger rises for councils that charged under £2,000 last year.
Most expensive council tax rates for 2025/26
GBN
Currently, London boroughs occupy the smallest increases in council tax leaderboard as most are yet to announce their rate change other than the London Mayor’s rise of £18.98.
Taking out London boroughs, we learn Staffordshire (£73.40), Worcestershire (£73.10) and Surrey (£72.70) have the smallest council tax increase next year.
Smallest increases in council tax for 2025/26
GBN
It comes as authorities scramble to raise funds after Reeves’ budget threw their finances into disarray.
A recent survey by County Councils Network found 85 per cent of County Councils (representing around 20 million people) reported the Labour Chancellor’s budget had ‘left them worse off’.
Reeves’ massive National Insurance hike has significantly raised councils’ staff bills, while Labour have also changed the way councils receive funding from central government.
There is also the fact many councils have suffered from poor economic management, running up large borrowing debts while paying tens of senior council employees’ eye-watering salaries and gold-plated pensions.
Add into the mix the rising cost of utilities, an ageing population, a mental health crisis, and rises to the number of disabled people requiring support, all which stress council finances.
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Resultantly, Angela Rayner said there had been a record number of councils asking for additional council tax increases.
“These are difficult decisions that government has not taken lightly,” she said.
“We recognise the importance of limited increases in helping to prevent these councils falling further into financial distress – but we have been clear this must be balanced with the interests of taxpayers.
“We have agreed to a limited number of requests and in all cases have not agreed to the full amount requested.
“Where we have agreed, it is only for councils with amongst the lowest levels of council tax, and where we expect, even after these increases, residents will still be paying less than the average compared with similar councils.
“At a national level, even with these increases, the overall increase in council tax is not expected to exceed last year’s.
“Following confirmation of these referendum principles, it will be for individual councils to take final decisions on setting council tax in their areas, having reached agreement locally that the increases are necessary to the council’s financial recovery.
“I have been clear to all councils that they should take whatever steps locally they consider will help to protect the most vulnerable residents from the impact of any additional increase.”
