Millions of households in England are facing an increase in their council tax bill from April as more than 80 councils decide to raise it to the maximum amount.

But how much is council tax rising by, where in England will be affected by it and when will it come into place?

Here’s what we know so far.

How much will council tax go up by?

Eighty-four councils out of 114 who have published their 2023/34 budget proposals so far plan to raise council tax by the maximum permitted – which is 4.99% – research from the County Councils Network (CCN) has found. These are upper-tier councils with social care responsibilities.

Councils are able to levy a maximum of 4.99% – the maximum allowed without a local vote – if they wish to do so. This is a total of 2.9995% for general council tax and a further 1.9956% for the adult social care precept, which is ring fenced for care services.

Government funding levels for 2023/24, particularly for care services, are predicted on councils taking the maximum council tax rise.

The average Band D council tax set by local authorities across England is £1,966 per year, so a 4.99% increase would be £99 a year extra on average.

However, the typical Band D council tax bill for residents in rural county areas is over £2,000 a year and will rise to £2,149 on average with a 4.99% rise. This is 20% higher than average bills faced by residents in London from April, with band D households facing an average of £1,780 per year.

The County Councils Network (CCN) said this is because county areas have historically received lower government funding than London for services and councils have to make up the shortfall through higher taxation.

The changes will come in for residents from 6 April – the start of the new 2023/24 financial year.

Why is council tax rising?

Local authorities currently face multi-million pound funding gaps which they need to close to balance their budgets for 2023/24.

With inflation running at 10.5%, council leaders have said they recognise the cost of living pressures for residents, but have put forward maximum rises in order to set a balanced budget and to fund local services vital for struggling households.

Councillor Sam Corcoran, Labour Vice-Chairman of the County Councils Network and Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “With inflation reaching levels not seen for over 40 years and with demand-led pressures for care services showing no sign of abating, local authority leaders are setting their budgets in the most difficult circumstances in decades.

He added: “We all recognise the cost of living crisis is impacting on every household in the country and disproportionately on low incomes, but we have little choice but to propose council tax rises again next year, with many local authorities reluctantly opting for maximum rises.”

With councils facing multi-million funding deficits next year, the alternative to council tax rises “would be drastic cuts to frontline services at a time when people at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis need us to be there for them”, he added.

Councillor James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils across England and Wales, further echoed this.

He said an increase in local government core spending power will help councils deal with inflationary and other cost pressures they face next year, and that many councils “are still grappling with significant challenges when setting their budgets and trying to protect services from cutbacks due to the deep underlying and existing pressures they face”.

Councils want to work with the government “on a long-term funding plan which ensures they have adequate resources, certainty and freedoms to deliver local services for our communities”, he added.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson told FactCheck: “We recognise the pressures councils are facing and have made almost £60 billion available over the next financial year – a 9% increase on 2022-23 – with the most deprived areas of England receiving 17% more per household this year than the least deprived.

“Our approach to council tax balances the need to deliver vital services while protecting residents from excessive increases and we expect local authorities to take into consideration the challenges many households are facing.”

Is my council tax rising?

These are the areas where council tax is being increased and how much it will rise.

  • – Barking and Dagenham – 4.99%
    – Barnsley – 3.9%
    – Bath and NE Somerset – 4.99%
    – Bedford – 2.9%
    – Birmingham – 4.99%
    – Blackburn – 4.99%
    – Blackpool – 4.99%
    – Bolton – 3.99%
    – Bournemouth – 4.99%
    – Bradford – 4.99%
    – Brent – 2.99%
    – Brighton and Hove – 4.99%
    – Bristol – 4.99%
    – Bucks – 4.99%
    – Cambridgeshire – 4.99%
    – Cheshire East – 4.99%
    – Cheshire West – 4.99%
    – Cornwall – 4.99%
    – Coventry – 4.99%
    – Croydon – 15%
    – Cumberland Council – 4.99%
    – Darlington – 4.99%
    – Derbyshire – 3.75%
    – Doncaster – 3.99%
    – Dorset – 3.99%
    – Dudley – 4.99%
    – Durham – 4.99%
    – East Riding – 4.99%
    – East Sussex – 4.99%
    – Enfield – 4.99%
    – Essex – 3.5%
    – Gloucestershire – 4.99%
    – Greenwich – 4.99%
    – Halton – 4.99%
    – Hammersmith & Fulham – 4.99%
    – Hampshire – 4.99%
    – Haringey – 2.99%
    – Harrow – 4.99%
    – Hartlepool – 4.99%
    – Havering – 4.99%
    – Herefordshire – 4.99%
    – Hertfordshire – 4.99%
    – Hillingdon – 4.99%
    – Hull – 4.99%
    – Isle of Wight – 4.99%
    – Islington – 4.99%
    – Kent – 4.95%
    – Kingston Upon Thames – 4.99%
    – Lancashire – 3.99%
    – Leeds – 4.99%
    – Leicestershire – 4.99%
    – Lincolnshire – 4.99%
    – Luton – 4.99%
    – Manchester – 4.99%
    – Medway – 4.99%
    – Merton – 4.99%
    – Middlesbrough – 3.99%
    – Milton Keynes – 4.99%
    – Newcastle – 2.99%
    – Newham – 4.99%
    – Norfolk – 4.99%
    – North East Lincolnshire – 4.98%
    – North Lincolnshire – 4.99%
    – North Somerset – 4.99%
    – North Tyneside – 4.99%
    – North Yorkshire – 4.99%
    – North Northamptonshire – 4.99%
    – Northumberland – 4.99%
    – Nottingham – 4.99%
    – Nottinghamshire – 4.84%
    – Oldham – 3.99%
    – Oxfordshire – 4.99%
    – Peterborough – 4.99%
    – Plymouth – 4.99%
    – Redbridge – 4.99%
    – Redcar and Cleveland – 3.99%
    – Rochdale – 2.99%
    – Rotherham – 4%
    – Rutland – 4.99%
    – Salford – 4.99%
    – Shropshire – 4.99%
    – Slough – 10%
    – Solihull – 4.99%
    – Somerset – 4.99%
    – South Tyneside – 4.95%
    – Southend – 4.99%
    – Southwark – 4.99%
    – Staffordshire – 4.99%
    – Stockport – 3.99%
    – Stockton-on-Tees – 4.99%
    – Stoke – 4.99%
    – Suffolk – 3.99%
    – Sunderland – 2.99%
    – Surrey – 2.99%
    – Swindon – 4.99%
    – Telford and Wrekin – 2%
    – Thurrock – 10%
    – Torbay – 4.99%
    – Tower Hamlets – 2%
    – Trafford – 4.99%
    – Wakefield – 4.99%
    – Walsall – 2.99%
    – Warwickshire – 3.94%
    – West Berkshire – 4.99%
    – West Northamptonshire – 4.99%
    – West Sussex – 4.99%
    – Westminster – 2%
    – Wiltshire – 4.99%
    – Windsor and Maidenhead – 4.99%
    – Wirral – 4.99%
    – Wokingham – 4.99%
    – Worcestershire – 4.94%
    – York – 4.99%

Note: Thurrock and Slough have been given special dispensation to raise council tax by 10%, and Croydon by 15%, as they are all on the cusp of going bankrupt, the CCN said.