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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5. Stoke-on-Trent - £2,078
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Stoke-on-Trent is £2,078 - up from £1,979 the previous year. That's the fifth lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 3 complaints against Stoke-on-Trent City Council per 100,000 residents, which is well below the average for similar authorities, of 5.3 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
6. Dudley - £2,039
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Dudley, in the West Midlands, is £2,039 - up from £1,937 the previous year. That's the fourth lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 4.3 complaints against Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council per 100,000 residents, which is slightly below the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
7. Wigan - £2,031
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in Wigan, Greater Manchester, is £2,031 - up from £1,924 the previous year. That's the third lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 3.8 complaints against Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council per 100,000 residents, which is significantly below the average for similar authorities, of 4.7 per 100,000. | Google Photo: Google
8. Isles of Scilly - £1,950
The band D council tax for 2025/26 in the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, is £1,950 - up from £1,857 the previous year. That's the second lowest of any local authority outside of London. In 2024/25, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 0 complaints against the Council of the Isles of Scilly per 100,000 residents, which is well below the average for similar authorities, of 5.3 per 100,000. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images