Council Tax in the South East 2026/27: All 64 Councils, Highest to Lowest
The 64 billing authorities in the South East average £2,475.45 at Band D for 2026/27 (England: £2,410.97), up 4.8% on average. Lewes is the dearest at £2,756.17, Windsor & Maidenhead the cheapest at £1,952.62. 48 of the 64 apply the second-homes premium.
Every council in the South East, ranked by Band D
Band D is MHCLG’s area council tax for two adults, including the adult social care, county, police, fire and average parish elements. Open a council for all eight bands, its monthly equivalents, and the full empty-home premium schedule.
| # | Council | Type | Band D 2026/27 | Change | Second-home premium | Empty 10+ yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewes | Shire district | £2,756.17 | +4.9% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 2 | Wealden | Shire district | £2,728.43 | +4.6% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 3 | Rother | Shire district | £2,700.95 | +5.5% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 4 | Oxford | Shire district | £2,678.40 | +4.7% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 5 | Hastings | Shire district | £2,676.58 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 6 | Eastbourne | Shire district | £2,654.28 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 7 | Isle of Wight | Unitary authority | £2,625.79 | +5.3% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 8 | Reading | Unitary authority | £2,612.77 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 9 | Waverley | Shire district | £2,604.87 | +4.9% | No | 300% |
| 10 | Woking | Shire district | £2,598.04 | +4.7% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 11 | South Oxfordshire | Shire district | £2,597.57 | +5.0% | No | 300% |
| 12 | Tandridge | Shire district | £2,594.85 | +5.0% | No | 300% |
| 13 | Surrey Heath | Shire district | £2,585.16 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 14 | Cherwell | Shire district | £2,582.96 | +4.8% | No | 300% |
| 15 | Brighton & Hove | Unitary authority | £2,580.54 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 16 | Vale of White Horse | Shire district | £2,577.44 | +4.9% | No | 300% |
| 17 | West Oxfordshire | Shire district | £2,566.95 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 18 | Reigate & Banstead | Shire district | £2,566.61 | +4.4% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 19 | Elmbridge | Shire district | £2,557.75 | +4.7% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 20 | Adur | Shire district | £2,548.28 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 21 | Guildford | Shire district | £2,547.30 | +4.9% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 22 | Folkestone & Hythe | Shire district | £2,538.75 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 23 | Epsom & Ewell | Shire district | £2,530.84 | +4.7% | No | 300% |
| 24 | Buckinghamshire | Unitary authority | £2,526.58 | +5.2% | No | 300% |
| 25 | Spelthorne | Shire district | £2,526.44 | +4.7% | No | 300% |
| 26 | Sevenoaks | Shire district | £2,522.36 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 27 | Mole Valley | Shire district | £2,519.86 | +4.7% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 28 | West Berkshire | Unitary authority | £2,505.37 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 29 | Maidstone | Shire district | £2,502.59 | +4.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 30 | Wokingham | Unitary authority | £2,497.70 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 31 | Runnymede | Shire district | £2,492.99 | +4.7% | No | 300% |
| 32 | Thanet | Shire district | £2,490.90 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 33 | Arun | Shire district | £2,487.24 | +4.9% | Yes — 100% | — |
| 34 | Mid Sussex | Shire district | £2,474.26 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | — |
| 35 | Tonbridge & Malling | Shire district | £2,471.83 | +4.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 36 | Chichester | Shire district | £2,469.68 | +5.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 37 | Dover | Shire district | £2,461.74 | +4.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 38 | Worthing | Shire district | £2,456.13 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 39 | Tunbridge Wells | Shire district | £2,446.15 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 40 | Horsham | Shire district | £2,441.01 | +5.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 41 | New Forest | Shire district | £2,419.76 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | — |
| 42 | Canterbury | Shire district | £2,419.33 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 43 | Crawley | Shire district | £2,418.46 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 44 | Slough | Unitary authority | £2,414.44 | +5.0% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 45 | Ashford | Shire district | £2,410.16 | +4.3% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 46 | Gravesham | Shire district | £2,408.24 | +4.1% | No | 0% |
| 47 | Swale | Shire district | £2,405.65 | +4.3% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 48 | Hart | Shire district | £2,400.02 | +5.0% | No | — |
| 49 | Southampton | Unitary authority | £2,381.48 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | — |
| 50 | Dartford | Shire district | £2,375.15 | +4.2% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 51 | Milton Keynes | Unitary authority | £2,372.21 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 52 | Winchester | Shire district | £2,359.76 | +4.8% | No | 300% |
| 53 | Gosport | Shire district | £2,344.29 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 54 | East Hampshire | Shire district | £2,343.92 | +5.0% | No | 300% |
| 55 | Eastleigh | Shire district | £2,342.21 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | — |
| 56 | Medway | Unitary authority | £2,328.55 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 57 | Havant | Shire district | £2,320.28 | +4.8% | Yes — 100% | 200% |
| 58 | Rushmoor | Shire district | £2,320.28 | +4.9% | No | 300% |
| 59 | Test Valley | Shire district | £2,305.52 | +5.0% | No | 300% |
| 60 | Portsmouth | Unitary authority | £2,291.71 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 61 | Fareham | Shire district | £2,270.55 | +4.9% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
| 62 | Bracknell Forest | Unitary authority | £2,264.80 | +5.1% | Yes — 100% | 100% |
| 63 | Basingstoke & Deane | Shire district | £2,255.21 | +5.0% | No | 300% |
| 64 | Windsor & Maidenhead | Unitary authority | £1,952.62 | +7.1% | Yes — 100% | 300% |
Premiums across the region
48 of the 64 councils billed the second-homes premium in 2025/26 and 63 charge an empty-home premium at some stage. gov.uk: “You can also be charged up to 2 times your normal Council Tax. This is sometimes known as the second homes premium.” Which councils, and at what rate for how long empty, is on the second-home premium tracker; the England-wide Band D table is on council tax rates 2026/27.
Band D and bands A–H: MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (published 25 March 2026, Table 9 area council tax for two adults, including precepts); 2025/26 comparator and % change from the MHCLG live tables. Premiums: MHCLG Council Taxbase 2025 (CTB1 return, revised 21 January 2026) = policy for 2025/26; the 2026/27 return is due around November 2026. Rules quoted from gov.uk (checked 5 September 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Averages and rankings are ours, computed across the 296 billing authorities.
Asked about this council
Lewes, at £2,756.17 for Band D in 2026/27. The lowest in the region is Windsor & Maidenhead at £1,952.62.
The simple average Band D across the region's 64 billing authorities is £2,475.45 for 2026/27, against £2,410.97 across England.
48 of 64 in their 2025/26 returns to MHCLG. Councils decide each year; the 2026/27 return is due around November 2026.