25% Council Tax Annual Hike

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Maidenhead and Windsor are set to increase their council tax by 25% this year whilst the big boss also gets a 25% pay rise from £150k/year to £200k/year.

Really bad news as this sets the precedence for other councils to do the same.

Where is the mediation authority that governs what a reasonable increase is? Currently you can't challenge this as if you don't pay you go to court.

Council tax in Windsor and Maidenhead could rise by 25% - BBC News

Absolutely. Last I looked (and this data is a bit old now but I imagine probably wont have changed that much) over 80% in RBKC were band E or higher, As compared with around 30% in London overall and less than 20% in Englnd & Wales overall.

Of course we should remember Grenfell and surrounds all also fall within Kensington and Chelsea.

Theirs started very low, our band D in Buckinghamshire is around 2300 a year, so it's just bringing it in line with national averages. We pay around £3300 for a 3 bed house, was a shock when we moved here from London which is much lower.
It's a huge amount to find, about 2 months of my salary, but then there is a huge amount for councils to cover. We have 2 children in state primary, each costing around 5k per year to educate, it's a wonder how council make ends meet with all the things they have to cover

That's a Parish / Town Council isn't it which has no referendum (or Ask Angela) requirements. They also seem to have been thoroughly played by the newly estabished unitary. With the local council taxpayer paying for their injudicious decision. and it looks like no local election until May 2027; although I see there is by-election coming uo for the council in question - sugest those in the ward might want to trun out in large numbers and make their feelings (for or against) clearly known,

Still cheaper than a Band D where I live (a poor area in the North). Cry me s river. I think there needs to be a complete rethink of council tax. Why is that that so many wealthy area in the South West pay so little when people in other areas where poverty levels are far higher have to pay so much more.

That's a lot of money for someone with a failing poorly run council?

@Bushmillsbabe we had to supplement both dd education in an outstanding school with tutors so can I ask for my money back, some rebate to cover that.

unfortunately as this is a Parish / Town council there are no caps. Which is why both upper and lower tier authorities are looking to handover some parts of services to these lowest tier councils.

I was wondering about this as ours have also voted to raise it by 37.5%. Does that mean it won’t necessarily happen?

37.5!

Its a Parish / Town Council @EasternStandard Though still a shocking percentage. Although on a relatively (in council tax terms) small amount, Still an extra £100+ on that part alone.

Moved to the midlands from Surrey. You pay considerably more for considerably less. I am in a wealthy county (think £15 for a burger) and my council tax is over £4k Pa. We have no hospital, no council swimming pool, the parks are rubbish, a tiny museum and tiny, part time libraries. Police come from the next county as do ambulances. For any form of specialist medical care we have to go to a neighbouring county, so 45mins drive - if you’re lucky. We have the country - yes! But we don’t have cycle routes to access safely, the towns are ill thought out when it comes to safe crossings. Everyone drives to access a bike route or a safe walk. My child attends a decent school in the next county, and has weekly specialist appointments. The appointments are a hours drive, to get to school from there it’s a hour and a half. There are no ‘fun leisure’ pools within a 30 minute drive - more like 45-60 minute drive. There are no free children’s events like in the south, apart from rhyme time and surestart for tots. No services are open on a Sunday and no buses on Sundays or evenings. When they do run, it’s one every 2 hours.

You know what the services are like near you. They’re amazing. In Surrey they seemed to have an endless pit for amazing parks. Paddling pools, splash pads. Good parks getting remodelled into something amazing. Coral reef.

Here we literally have a park with one swing, a zip slide, a slide and a small climbing frame. I honestly couldn’t believe the difference in services when we moved, and immediately realised in many ways you get what you pay for with the steeper house prices in the south!!! And things like water are cheaper there too - I paid £50pcm there, £123 pcm here. Not a council tax matter, but just another example to illustrate that houses might be cheaper away from London, but the cost of living is not!

It is entirely appropriate that your council tax increases to more accurately reflect the amazing services your council is funding. Your increase of 25% is an arbitrary number because your price is so low. You need to look at the actual money that is being paid out. You are looking at an increase of £400? My council tax is going up by 5%. Which will be an increase of £423. So we’re finding the same money.

[I do confess my house is band G so we do have higher rates in line with that, and I have compared with the band D Windsor prices. But our house cost less than the band C property we sold in Surrey so that seems appropriate!]

Council tax is and always has been an unfair tax and we need a more proportional system based on income and assets not just house price at the point of sale. However if people realised what most of the money gets spent on I think we would rethink things entirely. Taxis to school is a massive outgoing, SEN provision another but not good SEN provision - mostly in my experience getting someone disinterested to sit next to a pupil! Proper diagnosis and proper support I would be in favour of.

Great that your family income is so high, not all of us can afford this increase!

There are no private sector equivalents.

Crazy isn't it. Our town council has said it was 'a very difficult decision' which is what they say every year when they whack it up 🙄

Obviously CT makes no sense and needs a change. I'd base it on square footage (including the garden) and that way the bigger the footprint the more you pay. I'd collect it by HMRC and then distribute it more in line with local demographics as some areas will have more pensioners whereas some may have more SEN children so a simple funding formula could be devised in order to meet those needs.

I think along with the next years bill each council needs to include a poll stating where the funding is going, and asking residents which they would like to stop funding.

I feel that it’s unfortunately time that the ridiculously expensive “services” that only benefit a tiny number of residents are aborted in favour of fortnightly bin collections including garden waste, local library’s, toilets that the vast majority would benefit from.

No idea what it’s being spent on where I live. The place is a shit hole with potholes everywhere. Every year people vote labour in and it has never got better, only worse. Crime is rampant and police don’t do a thing. House break ins are now regarded as petty crime.

Why garden size particularly out of interest. Mine has TPO woodland on it and considered a pubic amenity that I have the pleasure of pay maintenance for. Not to mention the ecological factor. My garden is also not costing the council anything so struggling to see what your reasoning is.

I wonder why garden too? I grow food on mine.

My garden size doesn’t cost my council anything extra in fact if I want them to even take away my grass clippings I have to pay for an extra bin. Which they then compost and sell.

The house 5 down with the massive extension and granny annex no garden left however has 10 people living in it. Paying the same council tax as me.

Exactly! The old poll tax made so much more sense, charging for every working age adult, that then links to ability to pay.

My grandma (93) lives in a 3 bed council house with a biggish garden , she has asked to move to a smaller 1/2 bed bungalow but none available, so she would get a huge bill but be unable to pay it as obviously no longer working.
2 adults living in a flat can both work so much more able to pay, despite the property being smaller.

DH and our 2 children live in a 3 bed house next to an elderly women with same size house. We use schools, create much more rubbish, can both work. Our neighbour creates very little rubbish as 1 person, and is unable to work. As a 1 person she should pay much less than 2 working age adults

Another one wondering why higher CT for gardens too? I have a very long but thin garden, that has several vegetable patches (that get used when I have the inclination). I used to pay for garden waste to be removed, but it climbed from £30 something to £60 in about 3 years. No concession rate either (some councils charge half if on benefits/pension). I now take my garden waste to the tip.

Ours was £55 last time I checked. We just compost, mulch or burn what we need now.

oh and those 10! People mean the house gets extra big or just more waste bins as well. No extra charge.

https://www.pleaseconnectme.co.uk/blog/where-are-the-uks-most-expensive-council-tax/

Interesting (from 2024)

I see 6 councils have been granted permission in England to raise their Council tax by more than 5% for 2025-26. Bradford allowed 10% which the highest increase.

Ah, mine is £2330 for Band D, and is classed as high.
My property is Band B - a 3 bed house. My DP viewed a one bed house when looking for a new place and it was Band C. The banding thing makes no sense at times.