A large majority of councils have signaled their intention to implement a council tax increase of at least 4.99% this year. Data from the 139 top-tier authorities in England that have proposed or confirmed increases so far show that 85% plan to raise rates close to 5%.
This is just below the threshold that would typically require a local referendum. When factoring in the six councils facing severe financial distress – which are granted permission to raise council tax beyond this level without a local vote – the proportion increases to nearly 90%.
Among the councils that have disclosed their plans, 122 have proposals pending approval from the full council, while 17 have been confirmed. Meanwhile, 14 councils have yet to announce their intentions, according to an analysis by the PA news agency.
Given recent trends, it is said to be unlikely that a council tax increase proposed by senior councillors will be rejected by the full council at this advanced stage of the budget process. Below is a list of the latest proposed and confirmed council tax increases for 2025/26 by top-tier local authorities in England.
The data only covers the 153 top-tier local authorities in England, including county councils, London boroughs, Metropolitan boroughs and unitary authorities and does not include lower-tier district councils.
Some 14 top-tier authorities have yet to make public a proposed or confirmed figure, says the Express.
- Cambridgeshire (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed
- Derbyshire (East Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Devon (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- East Sussex (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Essex (Eastern England): 3.75% confirmed
- Gloucestershire (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Hampshire (SE England): 4.995% confirmed
- Hertfordshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Kent (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Lancashire (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leicestershire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Lincolnshire (East Midlands): 2.99% proposed
- Norfolk (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Nottinghamshire (East Midlands): 4.84% proposed
- Oxfordshire (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Staffordshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Suffolk (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed
- Surrey (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Warwickshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- West Sussex (SE England): 4.99% confirmed
- Worcestershire (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- – London
- Barking & Dagenham: 4.99% proposed
- Barnet: 4.98% proposed
- Bexley: tbc
- Brent: 4.99% proposed
- Bromley: tbc
- Camden: tbc
- City of London: tbc
- Croydon: 4.99% proposed
- Ealing: 4.99% proposed
- Enfield: 4.99% proposed
- Greenwich: 4.99% proposed
- Hackney: tbc
- Hammersmith & Fulham: 4.99% proposed
- Haringey: 4.99% proposed
- Harrow: 4.99% proposed
- Havering: 4.99% proposed
- Hillingdon: 4.99% proposed
- Hounslow: 4.99% proposed
- Islington: 4.99% proposed
- Kensington & Chelsea: 4.00% proposed
- Kingston-upon-Thames: 4.99% proposed
- Lambeth: 4.99% proposed
- Lewisham: 4.99% proposed
- Merton: 4.99% proposed
- Newham: 8.99% proposed
- Redbridge: tbc
- Richmond-upon-Thames: 4.99% proposed
- Southwark: 4.99% proposed
- Sutton: 4.99% proposed
- Tower Hamlets: 4.99% proposed
- Waltham Forest: 4.99% proposed
- Wandsworth: 2.00% proposed
- Westminster: 4.99% proposed
- – Metropolitan boroughs
- Barnsley (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.90% proposed
- Birmingham (West Midlands): 7.49% proposed
- Bolton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bradford (Yorkshire/Humber): 9.99% proposed
- Bury (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Calderdale (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Coventry (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Doncaster (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.99% proposed
- Dudley (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Gateshead (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Kirklees (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Knowsley (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leeds (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Liverpool (NW England): tbc
- Manchester (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- North Tyneside (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Oldham (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Rochdale (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Rotherham (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.00% proposed
- Salford (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sandwell (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Sefton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sheffield (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Solihull (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- South Tyneside (NE England): 4.95% proposed
- St Helens (NW England): tbc
- Stockport (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Sunderland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Tameside (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Trafford (NW England): 7.49% proposed
- Wakefield (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Walsall (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Wigan (NW England): tbc
- Wirral (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Wolverhampton (West Midlands): tbc
- – Unitary authorities
- Bath & North East Somerset (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bedford (Eastern England): 4.99% confirmed
- Blackburn with Darwen (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Blackpool (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Bracknell Forest (SE England): tbc
- Brighton & Hove (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Bristol (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Buckinghamshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Central Bedfordshire (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Cheshire East (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cheshire West and Chester (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cornwall (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Cumberland (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Darlington (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Derby (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Dorset (SW England): 4.99% confirmed
- Durham (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% confirmed
- Halton (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Hartlepool (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Herefordshire (West Midlands): 4.99% confirmed
- Hull (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% proposed
- Isle of Wight (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Isles of Scilly (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Leicester (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Luton (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Medway (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Middlesbrough (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Milton Keynes (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 3.98% proposed
- North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber): tbc
- North Northamptonshire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- North Somerset (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- North Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber): 4.99% confirmed
- Northumberland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Nottingham (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Peterborough (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Plymouth (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Portsmouth (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Reading (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- Redcar & Cleveland (NE England): 4.99% proposed
- Rutland (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Shropshire (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Slough (SE England): tbc
- Somerset (SW England): 7.50% proposed
- South Gloucestershire (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Southampton (SE England): tbc
- Southend-on-Sea (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Stockton-on-Tees (NE England): 4.95% proposed
- Stoke-on-Trent (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Swindon (SW England): 4.99% proposed
- Telford & Wrekin (West Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Thurrock (Eastern England): 4.99% proposed
- Torbay (SW England): 4.75% proposed
- Warrington (NW England): 4.98% proposed
- West Berkshire (SE England): 4.99% proposed
- West Northamptonshire (East Midlands): 4.99% proposed
- Westmorland & Furness (NW England): 4.99% proposed
- Wiltshire (SW England): 4.50% proposed