Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Council tax bill - is this wild or are yours insanely high too?

440 replies

Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:14

My local council took £232 in direct debit today for council tax. I'll be honest, I don't budget to the pound, so was shocked when I saw it and assumed they had wrongly taken off my single person discount. But nope. £232 is what 75% of the council tax charge is for my 3 bed terrace.

WTAF. This feels insanely high.

please don't tell me all about bankrupt councils and adult social care. I've heard it. I know.

My point is how are ordinary people paying these sorts of bills? I'm a single parent of two on a decent wage and it stings.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
sunflowersandsunsets · 01/05/2026 12:56

That’s an insane amount. We pay £141 a month for a two bed terrace with garage, drive and garden in Cumbria.

ProudAmberTurtle · 01/05/2026 12:56

About 25% of the council tax bill covers..

The pensions (not even the salaries) of council staff.

The average CEO of a UK council earns nearly £200k a year.

But despite this, every city now has a mayor, every region has another layer of government, Wales and Scotland have their own parliaments.

It's not unreasonable to say the taxpayer is not getting good value for money.

We used to have a fraction of these staff, paid a fraction in tax and managed to get the potholes filled when we needed.

We just didn't back then pay millions to people so they could spend thousands on rainbow crossings.

KnickerlessParsons · 01/05/2026 12:56

Ours went up by 8%

PrioritisePleasure24 · 01/05/2026 12:55

Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:22

all of us paying for those public sector salaries

Comments like this🙄 Both of us are public sector.

I earn £31k he earns £41k. Oh and we also pay council tax and pensions and national insurance.

Original poster
Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:54

@Penguinnnni meant pensions not salaries, sorry.

OP posts:
MikeRafone · 01/05/2026 12:53

Theunamedcat · 01/05/2026 12:49

Anyway can you ask it to be split over 12 months instead of ten? I've no clue why this isn't a regular thing

I remember when council tax was £79 a month mine is breaking £250 😢

The council tax demand comes out in April and it is a large amount - so the government allowed it to be split into half year payments, quarterly payments, or 10 payments so it could be collected and sent in before the end of t hat current tax year (thus all collected by end of January)

It can be split into 12 yearly payments if you request, but not if you pay on the last day of the month

anniegun · 01/05/2026 12:52

Its mainly social care and SEND. If you want to lower council tax , decide which of these you want to spend less on

circusrunaways · 01/05/2026 12:51

yes & stamps duty

MikeRafone · 01/05/2026 12:50

circusrunaways · 01/05/2026 12:42

@MikeRafone we should absolutely have a property/land tax. Other countries manage it.

Instead of a council tax - not to add to our list of taxes!

circusrunaways · 01/05/2026 12:50

@Notmycircusnotmyotter many other countries pay a % of the value of their property/land each yr to the gov.

Penguinnnn · 01/05/2026 12:49

It is horrifically high! We pay around £300pcm as a couple in a small 3 bed semi.

Just for those who are claiming it’s public sector salaries, it really isn’t. Salaries in some public sector roles are very low in comparison to private sector. Google how much your local care home costs per week and you’ll have a much better understanding. The sums are eye watering. £2k per week is very standard but I’ve seen some more specialist homes charge upwards of £4k.

Theunamedcat · 01/05/2026 12:49

Anyway can you ask it to be split over 12 months instead of ten? I've no clue why this isn't a regular thing

I remember when council tax was £79 a month mine is breaking £250 😢

Original poster
Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:49

@susiedaisy1912sorry to hear that Susie. I meant pensions not salaries but I'm just bitter because my private pension is shite. Wishing you the best.

OP posts:
TennisLady · 01/05/2026 12:49

It’s the most ridiculous and unfair tax.

Waitingfordoggo · 01/05/2026 12:48

Ours is £350ish. Water has also gone up.

My wages have increased by a much smaller margin. Not really sure how this will end 😂

susiedaisy1912 · 01/05/2026 12:48

Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:22

all of us paying for those public sector salaries

Not mine. Band 3 salary, single parent and barely keeping my head above water.

Theunamedcat · 01/05/2026 12:47

Mines going up because my son turns 18 he isnt working he is autistic and might fail his maths and English again because he cant seem to break the barrier in his exams he is always 2/4 marks behind where he needs to be its frustrating i honestly dont know where its going because adult social care is dire in my area and children's social services arnt much better they are all just wasting time money and effort in the wrong areas

eurochick · 01/05/2026 12:46

It’s over £400 for us now. It is really painful on top of all the other increasing costs.

Original poster
Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:45

How would the property / land tax work? I don't agree with only homeowners paying for services.

OP posts:
ThirdStorm · 01/05/2026 12:45

About 15 years ago I lived alone in a little 2 bed which miraculously had an A band, I remember paying £63 a month! I’m paying £187 inc single discount over 10 months for a D 4 bed. The last few years of max % increases are really having an impact now. 😔

circusrunaways · 01/05/2026 12:42

@MikeRafone we should absolutely have a property/land tax. Other countries manage it.

JackandVictor · 01/05/2026 12:40

Ouch. Ours just went up to £203 but I might stop moaning about it after seeing some of the amounts on here! Annoyingly ours is higher than our neighbour next door who has an identical house because she's never moved so it's never been reassessed. But good for her really!

MikeRafone · 01/05/2026 12:39

council tax (rates as was then poll tax) is a con bought in to replace land tax which was paid by the upper classes and they were very happy to see it so down the chain

so now we are landed with paying this tax whilst those above get to keep a bit more

id much rather pay per square meter of the land I own, it would be much fairer - but the 7th Duke of Westminster would disagree, im sure

Original poster
Notmycircusnotmyotter · 01/05/2026 12:37

It's just so much! In my head it was about £150 and I made peace with that.

Is there a plan by government
at all except to squeeze and squeeze us until we just give up?

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread