Your council tax band is based on a 1991 property valuation that has never been updated. Over 20 million homes were assessed in months — many from a car window. Enter your postcode to see how fair your bill really is.
Band D rates 2025-26 · ONS house prices · Sources below
We'll look up your council and show how fair your council tax really is
| Rank | Council | Band D | Avg Price | Rate |
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Band D council tax rates: GOV.UK, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2025-26. Includes all precepts (adult social care, police, fire, parish). Average Band D: £2,280 — up £109 / 5.0% from 2024-25.
Average property prices: ONS UK House Price Index, latest available month per council (2025). These are mean prices for all property types sold in the local authority area.
Effective tax rate: Band D council tax as a percentage of average property price. This is the key fairness measure — it shows what proportion of their home's value a resident pays in council tax each year. A fair system would produce roughly equal rates everywhere.
Council tax bands: Based on estimated property values as at 1 April 1991. The Valuation Office Agency assessed over 20 million properties under tight deadlines using "second-gear valuations" — estate agents drove past homes without stopping. Properties built after 1991 are valued at what they would have been worth in 1991. England has never revalued. Wales revalued in 2005 (based on 2003 values), adding a ninth band. Scotland has not revalued.
Band multipliers: Band A = 6/9 of Band D. Band H = 2x Band D. The maximum spread is 3x — a £50 million property pays at most 3x what a Band A property pays. There is no upper limit on Band H.
Postcode lookup: Postcodes.io (free, MIT-licensed). Maps postcodes to local authority district (admin_district field).
Why no party will fix this: The IFS has modelled that a revaluation would shift the tax burden from the North to the South. London and the South East would pay significantly more; the North and Midlands would pay less. Both major parties have constituencies in areas that would lose from reform. The Conservatives explicitly offered a "Family Home Tax Guarantee." Labour has ruled out revaluation "in this Parliament." The poll tax — the predecessor to council tax — contributed to Margaret Thatcher's downfall in 1990. No party wants to be next.
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