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How much is your council tax going up? London boroughs with biggest bills revealed
Average demand in more than half of London boroughs expected to break £2,000 barrier
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London’s 33 borough councils are starting to reveal how much their council tax bills will rise from April.
Most are expected to agree a near five per cent rise in demands, according to draft budget planning documents. Councils that have already indicated such plans include Greenwich, Islington and Tower Hamlets.
In addition, Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has already said he wants his share of bills to increase by four per cent, primarily to provide more funding for the Metropolitan police.
Taken together, many households will pay in excess of £2,000 a year or £200 a month, as bills are normally paid over 10 successive months.
A total of 15 London boroughs already charge in excess of £2,000 a year for band D bills: Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Kingston, Lewisham, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton and Waltham Forest.
Council tax bar chart showing the least and most expensive London boroughs in 2024/25
Tower Hamlets council
Greenwich said it had “no choice” but to take the “tough decision” to increase its share of bills by 4.99 per cent. This will add 139p a week onto its band D bill - equating to £72.28 a year.
Greenwich leader Anthony Okereke said: “Our draft budget serves as a stark reminder of the financial realities created by decades of underfunding by the previous government. This damage cannot be done overnight.
“The good news is that we’ve received a better financial settlement this year, which will help us continue improving services. We’ve also been successful in finding innovative ways to reduce the costs of temporary accommodation, which have been crippling other councils.”
Islington said its likely increase also amounted to £1.39 per week - or £72.28 a year - at band D. When the mayor’s precept is added, its benchmark bill will rise to £2,011.
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said the borough was “blazing a trail” by offering free school meals and grants to buy school uniforms to ease the cost-of-living crisis.
Each council’s own share of bills is expected to include a 2.99 per cent hike in spending on council services and a two per cent increase in the amount spent on adult social care, which works out in practical terms as a 4.99 per cent rise.
Boroughs almost certain to break the £2,000 threshold for average bills for the first time include Greenwich, Hounslow and Merton and Islington.
This is what we know so far about likely council tax bills in each London borough. The table will be updated over the coming weeks as boroughs set their final amounts at full council meetings.
