Council tax — the local charge
The payment to your borough council: bands, discounts, exemptions and what happens if you fall behind. We also track the boroughs where the bill is rising fastest.
Articles on this topic: 16
Your UK water bill: how it is calculated and how to pay less
You cannot switch water supplier, but you can change the amount on the bill. What each company charges in 2026/27, when a meter pays off, who qualifies for a social tariff worth up to 90% off, why water is never disconnected over arrears, and when the company owes you GBP 10 a day.
Not just Wandsworth: Westminster says the government expects a 75–100% council tax rise, while Kensington and Chelsea pay £1,643
The council tax referendum cap has been lifted for five London boroughs at once — Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth. Westminster says the government expects it to raise bills by 75% to 100% as its grant is cut by £100m over four years. From the councils' own documents: who pays what now, and when the 2027/28 rate will be known.
Wandsworth council tax to rise 94% from April 2027: a Band D bill goes from £1,020 to £1,978
England's cheapest council tax is about to stop being cheap: Wandsworth plans to add £958 to the annual Band D bill. The government has lifted the referendum cap for six councils — five of them in London: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth itself. From the primary sources: how much bills rise, why no referendum is needed, when the decision becomes final and what to do if the bill is unaffordable.
Leaking roof, flooded basement: who pays? Insurance, the Flood Re scheme, and what the state provides after major floods
The money instalment of our weather series. Repairs after a leak or a flood cost thousands, yet you rarely pay from your own pocket: the structure is covered by buildings insurance (your landlord's, if you rent), affordable cover in risk areas is held up by the joint state-industry Flood Re scheme, and after major flooding the government activates a support package — £500 per household, £2,500 for businesses and a full council tax holiday for at least three months. Here is the whole chain: who pays, for what, and how much.
Healthcare in the UK: what the NHS gives everyone for free, what prescriptions and dentists cost, and who pays under the 150% rule
Two myths circulate about British healthcare: 'everything is free here' and 'you can't see a doctor without insurance'. Both are wrong. A GP appointment, the ambulance, A&E and the 111 line are free for everyone — whatever your visa or status — and you can register with a GP without proof of address or right to reside. The pharmacy and the dentist, though, have their own tariffs: a prescription is £9.90 per item, dental work runs £27.90 to £332.10, and visitors who never paid the IHS surcharge get billed for hospital care under the 150% rule. The whole system, with the numbers.
Where to live cheaply in London: boroughs with rents from £1,500 — 2.4 times below Kensington — and what you trade for the price
Average London rent has passed £2,300, and Kensington sits at £3,690. Yet the map has boroughs where the average let is £1,500-1,700 and a house costs £376,000 against London's £550,000 — ONS figures from summer 2026. An honest guide to the affordable belt: what life there really costs, whether the shops are truly 'half price', and what exactly you pay with — time, the view from the window, and more.
Can’t pay all your debts? Which to pay first in England — and how Breathing Space freezes interest for 60 days
Rent, council tax, energy, credit cards, buy now pay later: when money runs short, the order you pay in decides whether you keep your home and avoid bailiffs. Which debts are priority in England, what happens if you don’t pay council tax, how to deal with energy suppliers and HMRC, and how to get 60 days of Breathing Space for free.
Empty homes in England: councils will be able to take over a property after just 6 months
On 27 September the government announced a reform of Empty Dwelling Management Orders: the period after which a council can ask a tribunal to take an empty home into compulsory management is being cut from two years to six months. That comes on top of the council tax premium — an extra 100% after just one year empty. Here is what changes and how to stay clear of the new rules.
Empty shopfronts on the high street: £210m to revive them, and how a small business can win a unit at a rental auction
MHCLG announced a £210m package on 25 September, £10m of it for High Street Rental Auctions — a council's power to force a landlord to let premises empty for over a year. An ordinary cafe or shop can win the lease. The conditions: 12 months vacant, 22-24 weeks of process, a 1-5 year tenancy, and one sealed bid only.
UK inflation accelerates to 3.1% as diesel jumps 14 pence in a month — a day before the rate decision
The ONS has published August data: consumer prices rose 3.1% over the year against 2.9% in July, a third consecutive rise. The cause is almost entirely fuel: motor fuels are up 23% over the year and petrol is at 161.3 pence a litre, the dearest since November 2022. A full tank of diesel costs £7.10 more than a month ago. Core inflation and services, meanwhile, did not move, and food has held at 1.3% for a third month.
How to complain about a bank, energy supplier or water company in the UK — and get compensation
Complaints here run on a clock: a bank has 8 weeks to reply, a telecoms provider 6, a water company 10 working days at each of two stages. Miss the deadline or fob you off, and an ombudsman takes the case for free — with a decision the company must honour. Who covers which sector, what to put in the letter, and why big purchases belong on a credit card.
How to get your tenancy deposit back in the UK: if it was never protected, the court must award you at least its value
A deposit must be placed in one of three government-approved schemes within 30 days, with the prescribed information sent in the same window. Checking takes two minutes and costs nothing. If it was never protected, the county court must award between one and three times the deposit, and you have six years to claim. Since 1 May 2026 an unprotected deposit blocks the possession order itself.
London trade shows: Olympia and ExCeL, what is on this autumn, and how to get in free
The trade show is the most underrated free resource a small business has: suppliers, wholesale prices and customers in one hall. The full Olympia and ExCeL calendar from September to November, from Top Drawer and Speciality Fine Food to World Travel Market and The Business Show. Plus the key fact: almost every B2B show is free if you register in advance.
Council tax in 2026/27: what you pay, who pays less, and what happens if you fall behind
The average Band D bill in England is £2,392 a year. A 25% single-adult discount, 50% and full student exemptions, and the separate Council Tax Reduction scheme — none of it applies automatically, only on application. And seven days after a missed payment, the whole year becomes due.
Renting in London 2026: what a flat costs and what deposit is legal
What renting in London actually costs, on the latest ONS figures: £2,317 a month in the capital, £1,451 across England, £1,393 UK-wide. By law the deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent and the holding deposit at one, and it must be protected within 30 days. Agreement fees, reference checks and inventories are not yours to pay.
Inviting family to Britain: there is no minimum balance, and UKVI will not look at your hotel or flight bookings
The British Embassy published cards on the finances behind a visitor visa; we checked every claim against the Immigration Rules and the Home Office caseworker guidance. There is no set level of funds in the requirements, there is no "6 months in 12" rule, and a visitor refusal carries neither appeal nor administrative review. Plus the full official list of fifteen documents a caseworker is told not to consider.