By council
Bradford council tax 2026/27
A district council still relying on government permission to borrow for day-to-day costs, a rise at the usual limit this year, and charges that vary with the parish.
Bradford, Band A, 2026/27
£1,574a year
First payment £160.82, then 9 of £157.00
| Band A charge | £1,573.82 |
| Bill for the year | £1,573.82 |
Band A at 6/9 of Band D.
Where the council tax goes
How Bradford compares
Band D here is £2,360.73, number 202 of 296 in England (1 = dearest). The same band in Wandsworth, the cheapest, costs £685 on the same terms.
Think the band is wrong? How a band challenge works
Bradford's average Band D council tax for 2026/27 is £2,360.73, compared with £2,246.15 in 2025/26, so the whole bill rose by 5.1 %. The district council's own part went up by 4.99 %, the standard ceiling, made of a 2.99 % general rise and 2 % for adult social care; the police and fire precepts for West Yorkshire and the parish charges moved separately. The usual Bradford bill is lower than Band D: Band A, the lowest band, costs £1,573.82 a year for two adults and £1,180.36 for one. The council balanced its 2026/27 budget with exceptional financial support from the government, agreed in principle, which lets it use borrowing or capital receipts to cover running costs for a limited time. That support is not extra money and does not change what any household pays this year.
Figures checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the bill is worked out
Bradford charges for every band
| Band | Share of D | Two adults | Living alone | Each of 10 payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 6/9 | £1,573.82 | £1,180.36 | £157.38 |
| Band B | 7/9 | £1,836.12 | £1,377.09 | £183.61 |
| Band C | 8/9 | £2,098.43 | £1,573.82 | £209.84 |
| Band D | 9/9 | £2,360.73 | £1,770.55 | £236.07 |
| Band E | 11/9 | £2,885.34 | £2,164.00 | £288.53 |
| Band F | 13/9 | £3,409.94 | £2,557.45 | £340.99 |
| Band G | 15/9 | £3,934.55 | £2,950.91 | £393.46 |
| Band H | 18/9 | £4,721.46 | £3,541.09 | £472.15 |
The amounts include the district's average parish precept. Your bill replaces it with the precept of your own parish, or with nothing if you live in a ward that has no parish council.
The budget behind the bill
Bradford has been under severe financial pressure in recent years, and for 2026/27 the council again relies on exceptional financial support, a government arrangement that lets a council fund running costs from borrowing or asset sales. Its 2026/27 explanatory booklet shows that support as one of the four sources of the budget, next to government grant, business rates and council tax. The council's own share of Band D is £1,965.28, including £37.44 for adult social care, and it rose this year by no more than the limit that applies to every council without a referendum. The page on this year's increases explains how that limit works.
West Yorkshire's shared precepts
The police precept, £278.28 at Band D, is set by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, who holds the police and crime commissioner's powers. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority takes £89.49. Both are identical in the five West Yorkshire districts, so the table below isolates what each district and its parishes charge:
| District | Band A | Band D | Parish average | Parishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | £1,573.82 | £2,360.73 | £27.68 | 21 |
| Leeds | £1,522.49 | £2,283.73 | £12.22 | 33 |
| Calderdale | £1,613.43 | £2,420.15 | £18.19 | 8 |
| Kirklees | £1,627.38 | £2,441.07 | £10.88 | 5 |
| Wakefield | £1,531.26 | £2,296.89 | £37.49 | 26 |
Bradford sits in the middle of the group, cheaper than Calderdale and Kirklees but dearer than Leeds and Wakefield. Because the police and fire lines are fixed across the county, a household moving from Bradford to Leeds in the same band saves only what the two district councils and their parishes charge differently. A wider ranking of the region is on the Yorkshire and the Humber page.
Empty homes in the district
The council uses the premiums to bring empty homes back into use. A Band A house left empty and unfurnished for ten years or more costs £6,295.28 a year, four times the normal charge. There are exceptions, for example for an annexe used with the main home or a home vacated by someone in armed forces accommodation; the government guidance and the empty property page explain them.
Help with the bill
Bradford's Council Tax Reduction scheme for working-age residents on low incomes is set locally and applied after every discount in the calculator. The GOV.UK page on Council Tax Reduction explains how to apply. A home with features needed by a disabled resident can be charged one band lower, which the disabled band reduction guide covers in detail.