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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:
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5
XenoBitch · 04/05/2026 15:02

Thechaseison71 · 04/05/2026 15:01

Why ask the parents? They didn't ask for the taxi, the LA sent it.

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Then ask the LA. Why are you asking me what the excuse is.

suburburban · 04/05/2026 15:09

Thechaseison71 · 04/05/2026 14:49

Not always I know on 2 taxi kids due to sen. Both are only children. What's your excuse for that

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It’s probably because they can but I don’t agree with it.

Jenkibuble · 04/05/2026 17:55

LakieLady · 01/05/2026 16:13

Is that over 10 months or 12, @Jenkibuble ?

It may be too late for this year, but I'm really glad I switched to paying over 12 months. Mine (also band B and with single occupier discount) would be £195 if I was still paying over 10 months.

Apart from public transport, our services are pretty reasonable. The bin men are super efficient, the streets seem pretty clean, libraries have reduced hours but not actually closed down (yet!), the open spaces appear to be clear of litter and mowed regularly. I can't speak for play equipment, but I've never heard anyone griping about it.

Mind you, it's one of those places where the residents' association and other groups organise local litter picks and I've picked up the occasional bottle or can that's been dumped and put it in my own bin, so maybe the clean streets aren't all down to the council.

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10 months

Thechaseison71 · 04/05/2026 22:48

XenoBitch · 04/05/2026 15:02

Then ask the LA. Why are you asking me what the excuse is.

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Your the one making excuses for people saying they can't be in 2 places at once

What do you suppose happens in you have 2 or 3 kids in different schools that haven't got SEN

And surely that's part of the stuff that FLA etc should cover as it's a cost of disability

lilkitten · 05/05/2026 12:23

Mine's gone up to £155 (band A, 2 bed terrace), which is up a bit but water has gone up by more, and they now want to meter it which considering there's 4 of us in a 2-bed house will mean a lot more I'm sure. Paperwork should go out in advance for the council (I used to be a councillor, they pretty much were sent a day or two after we voted) but my water one is inaccessible as it's online only and the website is rubbish.

MikeRafone · 05/05/2026 12:27

Thechaseison71 · 04/05/2026 22:48

Your the one making excuses for people saying they can't be in 2 places at once

What do you suppose happens in you have 2 or 3 kids in different schools that haven't got SEN

And surely that's part of the stuff that FLA etc should cover as it's a cost of disability

Edited
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That doesn’t have anything to do with in house care & children’s home opposed to cooperate businesses charging extortionate amounts for these services

MidnightMeltdown · 05/05/2026 12:39

suburburban · 03/05/2026 21:17

Yes don’t they and I don’t agree with the taxis

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I remember once hearing a taxi driver complaining about this, saying that it was completely ridiculous and unnecessary, and costing the council an absolute fortune!

Thechaseison71 · 05/05/2026 20:23

MikeRafone · 05/05/2026 12:27

That doesn’t have anything to do with in house care & children’s home opposed to cooperate businesses charging extortionate amounts for these services

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What on earth are you on about?

Shefliesonherownwings · 05/05/2026 20:45

Ours has increased by £50 a month too, so ridiculous. Our electricity tariff ends soon too, dreading what that will go up to.

MikeRafone · 05/05/2026 20:48

Thechaseison71 · 05/05/2026 20:23

What on earth are you on about?

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Read the posts by 2nd car owner

menopausalmare · 07/05/2026 20:42

snowmichael · 03/05/2026 00:25

Well, while we'd be pretty ;pissed offvhere in Runnymede to see our CT bills rise to 'pay for Spelthorne', in reality we're both going to get hammered because of Woking :(

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To be fair to Woking, Spelthorne are pretty skint as well.

snowmichael · 10/05/2026 15:29

menopausalmare · 07/05/2026 20:42

To be fair to Woking, Spelthorne are pretty skint as well.

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But at least not bankrupt due to massive vanity projects
The two tower blocks in Staines were not underwritten by Spelthorne council

TheGreatDownandOut · 10/05/2026 15:36

ouch! Mine is £125 a month, which includes a single person discount and is over ten months. I live in a 3 bed semi. Eye opening to see how much some are paying!

Lifeomars · 10/05/2026 17:26

TheGreatDownandOut · 10/05/2026 15:36

ouch! Mine is £125 a month, which includes a single person discount and is over ten months. I live in a 3 bed semi. Eye opening to see how much some are paying!

Mine is £134 a month with single person's discount, I am in a Band A two up two down terrace which opens straight out onto the (filthy) street. It is so run down and grubby where i live that I hate having visitors as it is embarrassing.

AmIEnough · 11/05/2026 07:30

Ours is about £430 per month! It’s criminal!

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