By region
North West council tax 2026/27
From Carlisle to Crewe, a bill made of up to six parts depending on where the boundary runs.
Wigan, Band B, 2026/27
£1,674a year
First payment £171.31, then 9 of £167.00
| Band B charge | £1,674.31 |
| Bill for the year | £1,674.31 |
Band B at 7/9 of Band D.
Where the council tax goes
How Wigan compares
Band D here is £2,152.68, number 276 of 296 in England (1 = dearest). The same band in Wandsworth, the cheapest, costs £800 on the same terms.
Think the band is wrong? How a band challenge works
The 35 billing authorities of the North West charged between £2,152.68 at Band D in Wigan and £2,673.59 in Liverpool for 2026/27, for a home with two adults; the simple average is £2,483.22. The region has two mayoral combined authorities. In the ten Greater Manchester boroughs the bill includes a mayoral precept of £153.95 at Band D, which covers the fire service, while the mayor also sets the police precept as police and crime commissioner. In the six councils of the Liverpool City Region the mayor adds £24.00. Lancashire's twelve districts pay a large county share on top of their own, and Cumbria, Cheshire and the remaining unitary councils have a single council charge. Trafford and Warrington were allowed rises above the normal limit.
Figures checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the bill is worked out
All 35 councils
| Council | Band A | Band D | Band H | Band D 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | £1,782.39 | £2,673.59 | £5,347.18 | £2,546.45 | 5.0 % |
| Pendle | £1,760.12 | £2,640.18 | £5,280.36 | £2,535.19 | 4.1 % |
| Stockport | £1,745.93 | £2,618.90 | £5,237.80 | £2,475.31 | 5.8 % |
| Oldham | £1,734.82 | £2,602.23 | £5,204.46 | £2,459.40 | 5.8 % |
| Rochdale | £1,733.89 | £2,600.83 | £5,201.66 | £2,458.09 | 5.8 % |
| Salford | £1,729.63 | £2,594.45 | £5,188.90 | £2,452.02 | 5.8 % |
| Sefton | £1,722.15 | £2,583.22 | £5,166.44 | £2,460.92 | 5.0 % |
| Preston | £1,717.16 | £2,575.74 | £5,151.48 | £2,477.85 | 4.0 % |
| Bury | £1,703.43 | £2,555.15 | £5,110.30 | £2,414.58 | 5.8 % |
| Burnley | £1,699.61 | £2,549.42 | £5,098.84 | £2,455.83 | 3.8 % |
| Rossendale | £1,679.98 | £2,519.97 | £5,039.94 | £2,424.37 | 3.9 % |
| Cheshire West and Chester | £1,678.22 | £2,517.33 | £5,034.66 | £2,392.03 | 5.2 % |
| Blackpool | £1,675.48 | £2,513.22 | £5,026.44 | £2,392.21 | 5.1 % |
| Cumberland | £1,674.21 | £2,511.32 | £5,022.64 | £2,393.90 | 4.9 % |
| Westmorland and Furness | £1,671.99 | £2,507.99 | £5,015.98 | £2,389.00 | 5.0 % |
| Lancaster | £1,668.79 | £2,503.19 | £5,006.38 | £2,407.50 | 4.0 % |
| Wirral | £1,667.06 | £2,500.59 | £5,001.18 | £2,381.66 | 5.0 % |
| Knowsley | £1,658.83 | £2,488.25 | £4,976.50 | £2,371.28 | 4.9 % |
| Fylde | £1,655.96 | £2,483.94 | £4,967.88 | £2,387.78 | 4.0 % |
| Hyndburn | £1,643.99 | £2,465.98 | £4,931.96 | £2,380.02 | 3.6 % |
| Wyre | £1,640.35 | £2,460.53 | £4,921.06 | £2,365.73 | 4.0 % |
| West Lancashire | £1,637.49 | £2,456.23 | £4,912.46 | £2,362.12 | 4.0 % |
| Blackburn with Darwen | £1,636.85 | £2,455.27 | £4,910.54 | £2,337.17 | 5.1 % |
| Cheshire East | £1,636.58 | £2,454.87 | £4,909.74 | £2,332.61 | 5.2 % |
| Warrington | £1,631.74 | £2,447.61 | £4,895.22 | £2,281.40 | 7.3 % |
| Tameside | £1,631.47 | £2,447.21 | £4,894.42 | £2,311.80 | 5.9 % |
| South Ribble | £1,628.44 | £2,442.66 | £4,885.32 | £2,352.12 | 3.8 % |
| Chorley | £1,620.15 | £2,430.23 | £4,860.46 | £2,342.85 | 3.7 % |
| St Helens | £1,602.25 | £2,403.38 | £4,806.76 | £2,288.53 | 5.0 % |
| Bolton | £1,599.83 | £2,399.74 | £4,799.48 | £2,266.53 | 5.9 % |
| Ribble Valley | £1,591.00 | £2,386.50 | £4,773.00 | £2,299.58 | 3.8 % |
| Halton | £1,577.74 | £2,366.61 | £4,733.22 | £2,249.34 | 5.2 % |
| Manchester | £1,541.36 | £2,312.04 | £4,624.08 | £2,183.03 | 5.9 % |
| Trafford | £1,527.80 | £2,291.70 | £4,583.40 | £2,122.54 | 8.0 % |
| Wigan | £1,435.12 | £2,152.68 | £4,305.36 | £2,031.28 | 6.0 % |
Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region
The two city regions account for 16 of the region's councils. In Greater Manchester the average Band D is £2,457.49, in the Liverpool City Region £2,502.61. The mayoral precepts are flat sums, the same in every borough of each area, so Wigan and Manchester pay the same mayoral share at Band D while their own council charges differ by £161. In the Liverpool City Region, Merseyside's fire authority still sets its own precept.
Lancashire's two-tier bill
Lancashire has 12 districts under one county council, and their average Band D is £2,492.88. The county's share is the largest part of every bill, while district shares are a few hundred pounds. Parish and town council precepts weigh more than in the cities: in Pendle they average £134.59 at Band D, which is why it sits near the top of the table. Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen are unitary councils with a single council charge.
Cheshire and Cumbria
Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington are unitary councils. In Cumbria the two unitary councils that replaced the county and its districts in 2023, Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness, now set the whole council charge. Westmorland and Furness covers the Lake District, where many homes are second homes: the rules on second homes matter there more than anywhere else in the region.
Neighbours across a boundary
Because the mayoral precepts stop at the city region boundary, two homes a mile apart can pay very different bills. Warrington sits between Greater Manchester and Merseyside but belongs to neither, so it pays no mayoral precept; its Band D is £2,447.61. St Helens, next door in the Liverpool City Region, charges £2,403.38, and Wigan, on the Greater Manchester side, £2,152.68. If you are choosing between towns, compare the band charge of the actual home, not the reputation of the council.
Working out a North West bill
The calculator above opens on Wigan, Band B, the lowest Band D in the region. Pick your council and band and choose who lives in the home. Most homes in the region's towns are in Bands A and B, where bills are two thirds and seven ninths of the Band D figure.