With annual council tax bills in England rising by an average of 5.1 per cent in April, many Britons will be worried about the strain this will put on their finances.
And this tool on MailOnline can help you work out how much you’ll pay, after government figures showed the average bill will be £2,065 in 2023/24.
You can enter the name of your council and click the search button, which will show this year’s and 2022 figures, the increase in pounds sterling and the percentage.
MailOnline has compiled data from figures published for the current and next year for all councils by the Department of Levelling, Housing and Communities.
The average increase this year will be £99 in 2022/23, with 151 of the 153 first-tier councils applying some or all of the maximum 2 per cent precept for social care.
Do you want to know how much your council tax could increase by? Type the name of your local authority into the MailOnline tool to reveal property growth in your area:
The biggest annual percentage increase will be in London, where bills for the average Band D property will rise by 6.2 per cent. But the capital’s average bill of £1,789 is still cheaper than other areas.
Households in metropolitan areas outside the capital will see their bills rise by 5.1 per cent to an average of £2,059, while largely rural parts of the country will see a 5 per cent rise to just under £2,140.
The Conservative-led County Councils Network, which represents local authorities providing services to almost half the population in England, said the combination of a 4.8 per cent increase in direct local government funding and council tax flexibilities in 2023-24 are not enough to cover rising costs and growing demand.
He added that these pressures mean county councils will have to collectively save £1bn, double the amount in a “typical” year, and use £350m of reserves to meet their legal requirement to establish a balanced budget.
Inflation has added £1.6bn to budgets this year, on top of the £1.4bn hit in 2022-23, CCN said.
He called on the Government to recognize the costs threatening services such as bus subsidies, street lighting, recycling centers and community health, as councils take action to protect social care and roads.
Carl Les, CCN finance spokesman and Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, which covers Rishi Sunak’s Richmond constituency, said: “The additional funding provided by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement made a big dent in the unprecedented new costs facing councils in 2023. 24, but sadly it was not enough.
‘We understand that residents are in the midst of a cost of living crisis, and many of us have reluctantly proposed maximum council tax increases.
“While councils will do everything they can next year to achieve these savings while protecting vital services, particularly care services, there is little to cut already.”
He added that inflation increases are now “built into the future” after years of underfunding in areas of the county.
“The medium-term outlook looks bleak unless these higher costs are recognized and councils are provided with longer-term financial security, as well as implementing long-promised fair funding reforms.”
New figures from the Department of Levelling, Housing and Communities show the average charge for a Band D property will be £2,065 by 2023-24.
The financial settlement for local government in 2023-24 comprised £17 billion in direct funding, an increase in cash terms of £789 million or 4.8 per cent on the previous year.
This means councils’ ‘core purchasing power’, which includes council tax revenue, rose by £5.1 billion to £59.7 billion, an increase of 9.4 per cent.
Primary bodies responsible for adult and child welfare were able to increase council tax to a threshold of 5 per cent, which includes the maximum 2 per cent welfare provision, without the need for a local referendum.
A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling said: ‘Council tax levels are set by local authorities and the Government maintains a referendum threshold to protect residents from excessive increases.
‘We have given councils the biggest cash boost to their spending power in ten years, with an extra £3.7bn this year to help them maintain and improve their services and more than £1bn of extra money for social care. .
This graph shows the number of authorities imposing different levels of Band D council tax.
“We are also providing £100 million of additional funding for local authorities to provide additional support to the most vulnerable households in England.”
And the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We continue to hope that (local authorities) will exercise restraint in setting council taxes.”
The increases came after last year’s Autumn Statement gave councils the power to increase bills by up to 5 per cent without holding a referendum, up from the previous limit of 3 per cent.
However, despite handing out more money, residents may receive less in return, as bosses of England’s largest councils will have to save more than £1 billion this year as a result of rising inflation and demand.
They say bus routes, street lighting, recycling centers and community health could be cut as councils try to protect frontline services such as aged care.
Bills have risen rapidly in recent years. However, bus routes, street lighting, recycling centers and community health could still be cut as councils try to protect frontline services.
Struggling families are already facing a deepening cost of living crisis as mortgage costs rise again along with energy bills.
More than a million homeowners with variable rate home loan deals will see their payments rise by hundreds of pounds a year after interest rates rose yesterday.
The Bank of England increased its basis by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25 percent and raised the prospect of more pain ahead.
At the same time, millions of households are receiving unwanted letters from energy companies warning that their fuel bills will soon rise by £67 a month when the Government’s rebate scheme comes to an end.
Although the Energy Price Guarantee which caps average bills at £2,500 was extended until June, the Energy Bill Support Scheme, which automatically gave households £400 off their bills for six months from October is ending.
The economic shocks come a day after figures showed an unexpected rise in the annual inflation rate to 10.4 per cent, a blow to Rishi Sunak’s promise to halve inflation by the end of the year.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (pictured on Budget Day last week) said the Government is “providing cost of living support worth an average of £3,300 per household over this year and next”.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said he expected runaway inflation to come down sharply by the summer, but hinted that interest rates could continue to rise until it is brought under control.
“We know that people are worried about the cost of living and think, rightly, that inflation is too high,” he said. ‘Low and stable inflation is the basis of a healthy economy. Raising rates is the best tool to reduce inflation.
‘We think inflation will start to fall quite quickly before the summer. But we need to see that actually happen. “We will continue to make the necessary decisions to achieve low and sustained inflation.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “With rising prices strangling growth and eroding household budgets, the sooner we get inflation under control, the better for everyone.”
“That is why we support the Bank of England’s actions today and will continue to play our part in this fight by being responsible with public finances, as well as providing cost of living support worth an average of £3,300 per household over this year and next. next. .’
But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Too many families are dealing with a Tory mortgage penalty and battling skyrocketing food prices.”
Businesses will also feel the consequences of rising interest rates. And despite 11 consecutive interest rate increases, banks have been accused of treating loyal savers as “cash cows” and failing to pass on higher rates to boost their savings.