New research has revealed which English local authorities have seen the most dramatic rises in average council tax per dwelling since the tax was introduced in 1993, with some areas recording increases approaching five-fold. An interactive map of the findings shows how bills have diverged sharply across the country over more than three decades.
Official figures covering every local authority in England from 1993/94 through to 2026/27 show that Huntingdonshire has experienced the steepest climb. Average council tax per dwelling there has leapt from £359 to £2,114 — a 488.86% surge, equating to an extra £1,755 a year.
Top five areas with the largest percentage rises
South Hams follows closely, with a 468.96% rise taking the average from £451 to £2,566, an increase of £2,115. South Cambridgeshire ranks third at 458.05%, up from £441 to £2,461 (£2,020 more), while Tewkesbury is fourth with a 457.03% jump from £370 to £2,061. Chichester completes the top five after a 441.01% increase, from £456 to £2,467.
The rest of the top 10 are East Cambridgeshire (440.32%, £377 to £2,037), Hinckley & Bosworth (430.29%, £350 to £1,856), the City of London (429.11%, £347 to £1,836), North Norfolk (423.98%, £392 to £2,054) and West Oxfordshire (421.32%, £469 to £2,445). In every case the percentage rise comfortably exceeds 420%.
National average and lowest-growth areas
Across England as a whole, average council tax per dwelling has risen from £456 in 1993/94 to £1,868 in 2026/27 — a 309.65% increase, or £1,412 in cash terms. That national average, however, masks the extreme variation visible on the map.
At the opposite end of the scale, Wandsworth recorded the smallest percentage rise of any authority, at just 148.35%. Bills there moved from £395 to £981, an increase of only £586. Greenwich was next at 158.29% (£609 to £1,573), followed by Haringey (166.35%, £624 to £1,662), Newcastle-upon-Tyne (175.38%, £528 to £1,454) and Hackney (179.92%, £508 to £1,422).
Islington (188.46%), Hammersmith & Fulham (197.05%), Harlow (199.82%), Camden (207.38%) and Wigan (211.60%) round out the 10 areas with the lowest percentage growth. Seven of those 10 are London boroughs, a pattern that stands in sharp contrast to the shire districts that dominate the highest-increase list.
Data source and expert comment
The data comes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's average council tax per dwelling measure, calculated by dividing the total council tax payable in an area by the number of chargeable dwellings. The long time series allows a clear view of how the tax has evolved differently depending on the type of local authority and its starting point in the early 1990s.
Commenting on the findings, Heath Alexander-Bew, Personal Lines Director at landlord insurance specialists Alan Boswell Group, said the pattern of the largest percentage rises was significant. He said: “One of the clearest patterns in the data is that many of the areas recording the largest percentage increases started from a relatively low base in 1993. That is important context: a council tax figure of £350 or £400 had much further to rise proportionately over the following three decades than an area where the average was already £600 or more. It shows why looking at both the percentage rise and the actual amount people pay today gives a much fuller picture.”
Mr Alexander-Bew also highlighted the London concentration among the lowest-growth authorities. He explained: “It is also striking that London boroughs dominate the list of areas with the smallest percentage increases. Seven of the 10 lowest-growth areas are in London, while many of the largest increases are found in shire districts elsewhere in England. That does not necessarily mean households in London face lower overall costs, but it does show that council tax has developed very differently across different types of local authority since it was introduced.”
For households, the differences are more than statistical. “For homeowners and tenants, these long-term differences matter because council tax forms part of the basic cost of living in an area and can add significantly to monthly housing costs. A relatively affordable rent or mortgage payment can look very different once council tax and other household bills are factored in.” Landlords, he added, should take the same local cost pressures into account: “For landlords, it is worth looking beyond headline rents when assessing affordability in different parts of the country. Where council tax and other household costs are particularly high, tenants may have less room in their budgets for rent increases, which can influence demand and affordability. Understanding those local cost pressures is therefore increasingly important when considering both existing properties and potential investments.”
The interactive map makes those contrasts immediately visible, showing at a glance which towns and counties have seen council tax bills rise furthest from their 1993 levels and which have remained comparatively restrained. With the tax now a fixed and often sizeable element of household budgets, the long-term divergence mapped by the data offers a clear illustration of how the cost of living in different parts of England has shifted since the system began.
