Absurdities of council tax laid bare in new league table

The irrationality of Britain’s council tax system has been laid bare in a new league table drawn up by estate agency Coulters Property. 

The agency’s research looks at Band D tax payments in different areas; the gap between top and bottom is as much as £1,300 and it is by no means the case that so-called better off areas have the highest tax bills.

Rutland, the UK’s smallest county and home to just 40,000 people, pays the highest overall, at £2,125 for a band D property, which is £307 or 17 per cent more than the national average of £1,818. 

The cheapest area is prime central London’s Westminster district. 

Quirks in the council tax system and calculations based on the value of homes dating back to April 1 1991 - that’s almost 30 years ago - make the tax bills differ wildly. 

The locations with the highest Band D payment are: 

1 Rutland (East Midlands) £2,125;

2 Dorset (South West) £2,119;

3 Nottingham (East Midlands) £2,119;

4 Lewes (South East) £2,111;

5 Newark & Sherwood (East Midlands) £2,100;

6 Hartlepool (North East) £2,092;

7 Wealden (South East) £2,091;

8 Durham (North East) £2,071;

9 West Devon (South West) £2,067;

10 Oxford (South East) £2,064.

And the locations with the cheapest Band D charges are: 

1 Westminster (London) £782;

2 Wandsworth (London) £800;

3 City of London (London) £1,007;

4 Hammersmith & Fulham (London) £1,124;

5 Na h-Eileanan Siar (Scotland) £1,193;

6 South Lanarkshire (Scotland) £1,203;

7 Shetland Islands (Scotland) £1,206;

8 Angus (Scotland) £1,207;

9 Orkney Islands (Scotland) £1,208;

10 North Lanarkshire (Scotland) £1,221.

You can check the full list here.