UK & Politics · London & regions

Not just Wandsworth: Westminster says the government expects a 75–100% council tax rise, while Kensington and Chelsea pay £1,643

Q: Which London boroughs had the council tax cap lifted?

Five: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City of London and Wandsworth. The sixth on the list, Windsor and Maidenhead, is outside London. The finance settlement for 2026/27 to 2028/29 states that the government will not set council tax referendum principles for them in 2027/28 and 2028/29. A rise above 5% normally requires a local referendum and no council holds one; for these six that limit simply does not exist for two years.

Q: How much do Kensington and Chelsea residents pay now?

£1,643.44 a year at Band D in 2026/27: £1,132.93 is the borough's own element and £510.51 the Greater London Authority precept. This year's rise was 4.99% — 2.99% general plus a 2% adult social care precept. The council itself describes this as just less than the government's 5% limit that would trigger a referendum. The page says nothing yet about 2027/28.

Q: And Wandsworth?

Wandsworth was first to name a figure: Band D rising from £1,020 to £1,978, up £958 or about 94%. It currently has the lowest council tax in England — £1,028 in the government's 2026/27 statistics, against an English average of £2,392. The rate is finalised in February and agreed in early March 2027. The detail is in our piece on the 94% rise in Wandsworth.

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.

Published 2 October 2026, 08:03 4 min read Редакция

A Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea street sign in London — Kensington and Chelsea, London. Band D here is £1,643.44 in 2026/27 — and this is one of five boroughs with the referendum cap lifted for 2027/28 and 2028/29. Photo: ONLYWAY NEWS

Wandsworth turned out not to be a one-off. The government has lifted the council tax referendum cap for six authorities, five of them in London, and each now decides for itself how far to raise bills from April 2027. Here is what the councils' own documents say, and what they have said out loud so far.

Which London boroughs had the council tax cap lifted?

Five: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City of London and Wandsworth. The sixth on the list, Windsor and Maidenhead, is outside London. The finance settlement for 2026/27 to 2028/29 states that the government will not set council tax referendum principles for them in 2027/28 and 2028/29. A rise above 5% normally requires a local referendum and no council holds one; for these six that limit simply does not exist for two years.

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What does Westminster say?

That the government expects a rise of 75% to 100%. Councillor Geoff Fisher puts it plainly: the government assumes the council will put up council tax by 75% to 100% to make up its immediate budget shortfall. He adds that the borough charges the second lowest council tax in the country, and that even if it doubled the bill it would still be one of the lowest in London and in the country.

The numbers behind it: a £100m reduction in government grant over four years, grant funding down 46%, of which £20m falls in 2026/27 and roughly £25m a year to 2029/30. The council has launched a resident engagement exercise to find out which services people value most before cutting. Its leadership calls these stark and very tough choices with no easy options. One caveat matters: this describes what the government assumes, not a decision the council has taken on the rate.

How much do Kensington and Chelsea residents pay now?

£1,643.44 a year at Band D in 2026/27: £1,132.93 is the borough's own element and £510.51 the Greater London Authority precept. This year's rise was 4.99% — 2.99% general plus a 2% adult social care precept. The council itself describes this as just less than the government's 5% limit that would trigger a referendum. The page says nothing yet about 2027/28.

And Wandsworth?

Wandsworth was first to name a figure: Band D rising from £1,020 to £1,978, up £958 or about 94%. It currently has the lowest council tax in England — £1,028 in the government's 2026/27 statistics, against an English average of £2,392. The rate is finalised in February and agreed in early March 2027. The detail is in our piece on the 94% rise in Wandsworth.

What about Hammersmith and Fulham, and the City?

Only that they are on the list of six. Neither has publicly set out a position on the 2027/28 rate, and we are not going to guess on their behalf. A lifted cap permits a rise, it does not require one. The place to look is your own borough's budget papers in February 2027, when councils set the budget, with agreement in early March.

What does this mean if you rent?

Bills move in proportion to the band: Band A pays two thirds of Band D, Band H pays double. On a standard assured shorthold tenancy the tenant pays council tax, not the landlord, so a rise lands on you. Two free steps if it becomes hard to pay: check whether you qualify for Council Tax Reduction, a means-tested discount that is never applied automatically, and ask to pay over 12 months instead of 10, which the council cannot refuse. How bands work and which discounts are never offered first are covered in our full guide to council tax.

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