Households in six areas of England are being told to brace for eye-watering council tax bill increases from April after the government gave them special permission to raise bills beyond normal legal limits.

Usually, local authorities cannot raise council tax by 5% or more in a single financial year without triggering a local referendum but several cash-strapped councils this year are going to be asking their residents to pay up to twice that amount more from next month. Council tax is a bill usually paid in 10 monthly instalments throughout the year which pays for local services such as bin collections, libraries, road repairs, parks and social care.

With many councils struggling with their finances, most are passing on a 4.99% price hike, with 88% of households in England facing at least that level of increase. In total, 153 councils are raising bills by at least 4.99% – see the full list below.

But residents of Bradford will be hit with a 9.99% increase in their bills from April.

In Somerset, bills will rise by 7.49%, while London borough Newham, and Berkshire’s Windsor and Maidenhead council will hike bills by 8.99%.

Birmingham is also making its residents pay an extra 7.49% from April while Trafford Council will raise bills by 7.49%.

Outside of England, Falkirk in Scotland raised council tax by 15%.

In Bradford, it means the cheapest Band A properties will pay an extra £113.34 per year, while Band B properties an extra £132.23 per year.

A Band D property – the UK average – will pay £2,219.65 per year in Bradford from April, not including parish precepts on top. Those living in Ilkley, for example, will be made to pay another £56.97 on top in a Band D house to fund Ilkley Parish Council.

Bradford Council said about its rise: “Following a request submitted in January, Government has now granted permission for a 9.99% increase in council tax in Bradford District for 2025/26. This will be formally reported to council in March, when the council will meet to decide its budget, including a final decision on setting council tax levels for the coming year.

“Government recognises that Bradford Council has been one of the hardest hit by the years of austerity and the least able to recover from this position because of its comparatively very low council tax. This is why we are one of only six councils in the country which are being allowed to increase beyond 4.99%.

“We are trying wherever possible to find new ways of working and new funding sources so that we can save money for council taxpayers without cutting vital services. But by increasing council tax now, in many cases by £2 or £3 a week, we can avoid significant borrowing costs of £111 million for Bradford council taxpayers over the next 20 years and protect services in the longer term.”

The biggest council tax bill rises in England from April 2025:

Bradford – 9.99%

Newham – 8.99%

Windsor & Maidenhead – 8.99%

Somerset – 7.49%

Birmingham – 7.49%

Trafford – 7.49%

Every single council tax increase in England – full list:

The figures for 2024/25 and 2023/24 are sourced from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

County councils

Cambridgeshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.98%)

Derbyshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.75%)

Devon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

East Sussex 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Essex 3.75% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.50%)

Gloucestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hampshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.998% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hertfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Kent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.995%)

Lancashire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Leicestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Lincolnshire 2.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Norfolk 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Nottinghamshire 4.84% (2024/25: 4.84% 2023/24: 4.84%)

Oxfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Staffordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Suffolk 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.00%)

Surrey 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)

Warwickshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.996% 2023/24: 3.94%)

West Sussex 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Worcestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.94%)

– London

Barking & Dagenham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Barnet 4.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 3.80%)

Bexley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Brent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bromley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Camden 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

City of London 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Croydon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 14.99%)

Ealing 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Enfield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Greenwich 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hackney 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hammersmith & Fulham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.80%)

Haringey 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Harrow 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Havering 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hillingdon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hounslow 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Islington 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Kensington & Chelsea 4.00% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.18%)

Kingston-upon-Thames 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Lambeth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Lewisham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Merton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.999% 2023/24: 4.999%)

Newham 8.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Redbridge 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Richmond-upon-Thames 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Southwark 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Sutton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Tower Hamlets 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.00%)

Waltham Forest 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Wandsworth 2.00% (2024/25: 2.09% 2023/24: 2.14%)

Westminster 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 2.01%)

– Metropolitan boroughs

Barnsley 4.90% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.90%)

Birmingham 7.49% (2024/25: 9.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bolton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Bradford 9.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bury 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Calderdale 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Coventry 4.90% (2024/25: 4.94% 2023/24: 4.94%)

Doncaster 3.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Dudley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Gateshead 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Kirklees 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Knowsley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Leeds 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Liverpool 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Manchester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

North Tyneside 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Oldham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Rochdale 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Rotherham 3.00% (2024/25: 3.50% 2023/24: 4.00%)

Salford 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Sandwell 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Sefton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Sheffield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Solihull 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

South Tyneside 4.95% (2024/25: 4.95% 2023/24: 4.95%)

St Helens 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Stockport 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Sunderland 4.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)

Tameside 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Trafford 7.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Wakefield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Walsall 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)

Wigan 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Wirral 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Wolverhampton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

– Unitary authorities

(Note: where figures for 2023/24 are n/a, this is because the authority did not then exist in its current form)

Bath & North East Somerset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bedford 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.90%)

Blackburn with Darwen 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Blackpool 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bracknell Forest 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Brighton & Hove 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Bristol 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Buckinghamshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.9997%)

Central Bedfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 0%)

Cheshire East 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Cheshire West & Chester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Cornwall 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Cumberland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)

Darlington 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Derby 3.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Dorset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.996% 2023/24: 4.00%)

Durham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

East Riding of Yorkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.98%)

Halton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hartlepool 4.99% (2024/25: 2.99% 2023/24: 4.90%)

Herefordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Hull 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Isle of Wight 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Isles of Scilly 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Leicester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.999% 2023/24: 4.998%)

Luton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Medway 4.994% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Middlesbrough 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Milton Keynes 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

North East Lincolnshire 3.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 3.98%)

North Lincolnshire 4.89% (2024/25: 3.73% 2023/24: 1.74%)

North Northamptonshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

North Somerset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.99%)

North Yorkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)

Northumberland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.59% 2023/24: 4.63%)

Nottingham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Peterborough 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Plymouth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Portsmouth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Reading 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Redcar & Cleveland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)

Rutland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Shropshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Slough 4.99% (2024/25: 8.50% 2023/24: 9.99%)

Somerset 7.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)

South Gloucestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Southampton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Southend-on-Sea 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Stockton-on-Tees 4.95% (2024/25: 4.95% 2023/24: 4.90%)

Stoke-on-Trent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Swindon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Telford & Wrekin 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.00%)

Thurrock 4.99% (2024/25: 7.98% 2023/24: 9.99%)

Torbay 4.75% (2024/25: 4.75% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Warrington 4.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.98%)

West Berkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

West Northamptonshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Westmorland & Furness 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)

Wiltshire 4.50% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Windsor & Maidenhead 8.99% (2024/25: 4.96% 2023/24: 4.96%)

Wokingham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

York 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)