By council
Wandsworth council tax 2026/27
The cheapest Band D of any billing authority in England, and a bill in which the Mayor's precept weighs as much as the borough.
Wandsworth, Band E, 2026/27
£1,257a year
First payment £122.70, then 9 of £126.00
| Band E charge | £1,256.70 |
| Bill for the year | £1,256.70 |
Band E at 11/9 of Band D.
Where the council tax goes
How Wandsworth compares
Band D here is £1,028.21, number 296 of 296 in England (1 = dearest). The same band in Wandsworth, the cheapest, costs £1,257 on the same terms.
Think the band is wrong? How a band challenge works
Wandsworth has the lowest Band D council tax in England for 2026/27: £1,028.21 for a home with two adults, last of 296 English billing authorities ranked from the dearest. The figure rose by 3.1 % from £997.75. Only £517.70 of it is the borough's own charge, including £10.15 of adult social care precept; the other £510.51 is the precept of the Greater London Authority, which every London borough collects. The average Band D in England is £2,391.52, so a Wandsworth household pays £1,363 less at the same band. Many homes in the borough sit in higher bands, so the typical bill is above Band D: a Band E home pays £1,256.70, or £126.00 a month over ten instalments, and a Band H home £2,056.42.
Figures checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the bill is worked out
Wandsworth charges for 2026/27, band by band
| Band | Share of D | Two adults | Living alone | Each of 10 payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 6/9 | £685.47 | £514.10 | £68.55 |
| Band B | 7/9 | £799.72 | £599.79 | £79.97 |
| Band C | 8/9 | £913.96 | £685.47 | £91.40 |
| Band D | 9/9 | £1,028.21 | £771.16 | £102.82 |
| Band E | 11/9 | £1,256.70 | £942.52 | £125.67 |
| Band F | 13/9 | £1,485.19 | £1,113.89 | £148.52 |
| Band G | 15/9 | £1,713.68 | £1,285.26 | £171.37 |
| Band H | 18/9 | £2,056.42 | £1,542.31 | £205.64 |
Band H in Wandsworth, the band for homes worth more than £320,000 in 1991, costs less than Band D in 284 of the 296 English billing authorities. That is the practical effect of a very low borough charge: the ratios between bands are the same everywhere, but they multiply a smaller base.
Two authorities, one bill
A Wandsworth bill has only two lines. The borough sets its own charge, and the Mayor of London sets the Greater London Authority precept. There are no parish councils, no county council and no separate police or fire precept outside the Mayor's share, because the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade are funded through it. Because the borough's part is so small, any rise in the Mayor's precept moves the Wandsworth bill proportionally more than in boroughs where the local charge is larger.
The table compares the borough's own Band D charge with its neighbours and shows what share of each bill the Mayor takes.
| Borough | Borough share at D | Band D | Band E | Mayor's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wandsworth | £517.70 | £1,028.21 | £1,256.70 | 50 % |
| Lambeth | £1,536.60 | £2,047.11 | £2,502.02 | 25 % |
| Merton | £1,636.25 | £2,146.76 | £2,623.82 | 24 % |
| Richmond upon Thames | £1,975.59 | £2,486.10 | £3,038.57 | 21 % |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £1,009.00 | £1,519.51 | £1,857.18 | 34 % |
| Kingston upon Thames | £2,098.69 | £2,609.20 | £3,189.02 | 20 % |
| Westminster | £537.74 | £1,049.55 | £1,282.78 | 49 % |
Crossing the border into Lambeth adds £1,245 a year to a Band E home. Across all 33 London authorities the average Band D is £2,090.08; the London table ranks every borough.
Higher bands in a high-value borough
Bands in England still rest on values at 1 April 1991, and London prices were already high then, so a large share of London homes sits in Bands E to H and the Band D figure understates the typical payment. Before buying, look up the band of the exact flat or house on the GOV.UK band search; a conversion or extension can sit in a different band from the rest of the street. The bands guide explains the 1991 value ranges.
Premiums and discounts
Wandsworth applies a 100 % premium to second homes, the most the law allows, and a further premium on homes left empty and unfurnished for more than a year, which increases with the time a home has been empty. Exceptions exist, for example for homes being actively marketed for sale or let, under the national rules on second homes and empty properties. A person living alone still receives 25 % off, which in Band E brings the bill to £942.52. The second home guide explains how the premium is calculated.
The statistical release for England confirms each year which authority has the lowest Band D. Figures for 2027/28 are to come.