But how much you pay varies hugely depending on where in the UK you live, from £998 in Wandsworth, London, to £2,671 in Rutland, in the East Midlands, for a typical band D property.
Local authorities are responsible for setting the council tax in their area, though there are restrictions on how much they can increase it by each year, with the cap set at five per cent for 2025/26.
Your council tax also often includes precepts added by your local parish or town council, or by the fire service or police force serving the area.
We’ve looked at the band D area council tax for local authorities across England to find the places with the cheapest council tax.
The list of cheapest locations is dominated by London councils, so we’ve excluded them.
We’ve looked at what you get for your money in those places with the lowest council tax, based on the number of complaints per 100,000 residents upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman, to give you an idea of how they compare with other local authorities.
If you want to compare how your local authority compares when it comes to services like waste management, planning, roads and adult social services, you can do that here.
Do you think you’re getting value for money when it comes to your council tax?
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1. Trafford Council - £2,123
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is £2,123 - up from £1,973 the previous year. That's the ninth lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 5.1 complaints against Trafford Council per 100,000 residents, which is slightly more than the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
2. Doncaster - £2,111
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, is £2,111 - up from £2,024 the previous year. That's the eighth lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 4.5 complaints against City of Doncaster Council per 100,000 residents, which is slightly below the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
3. Sunderland - £2,093
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Sunderland is £2,093 - up from £1,997 the previous year. That's the seventh lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 2.1 complaints against Sunderland City Council per 100,000 residents, which is well below the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
4. Solihull - £2,088
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Solihull, in the West Midlands, is £2,088 - up from £1,984 the previous year. That's the sixth lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 7.3 complaints against Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council per 100,000 residents, which is well above the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google