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Where the money goes

Find out which services and activities your council tax goes towards.

Last updated: 16 March 2023

Next review: 10 March 2024

We set the amount of Council Tax you have to pay every year.

The Valuation Office Agency has put each property in England in one of eight bands based on its price on 1 April 1991.

We set the amount you have to pay for each band.

Council Tax guide and expenditure, 2023 to 2024

Examples of how the increase in your bill was calculated.

Band C example

Band C 2023/24 2022/23 % increase/increase in pounds (£) Explanation
Basic Council Tax £1251.42

£1210.37

2.99%/£41.05

The increase in LBWF basic share of council tax is calculated by multiplying the core (LBWF basic share plus (adult social care precept) 2022/23 figure of £1372.75 by 2.99%.

LBWF Adult Social Care Precept

£189.84 £162.38

2.00% /£27.46

This charge is calculated on the “core” council tax element. For 2023/24 the precept is calculated by multiplying the core amount for 2022/23 i.e., £1372.75 multiplied by 2%. This equates to an increase of £27.46 on the 2022/23 precept of £162.38, bringing the total social care element up to £189.84
Total Core LBWF* £1441.26 £1372.75

4.99%/£68.51

This comprises a 2.99% basic council tax increase and a 2.00% social care precept. This calculation is set by regulation to determine whether the proposed increase is in line with the appropriate annual referendum limits. This equates to £1372.75 multiplied by 4.99% giving a total of £68.51.
GLA Precept £385.90 £351.64 9.74% This represents an increase of £34.26.
Total Bill £1827.16 £1724.39

5.96%/£102.77

This represents an increase of £102.77 and is comprised of £34.26 (GLA), £27.46 (Adult Social Care), and £41.05 (Core council services).

The Total Core LBWF is Basic Council Tax Plus Adult Social Care added together.

Council Tax guide and expenditure, 2022 to 2023

Council Tax guide and expenditure, 2021 to 2022

Council Tax guide and expenditure, 2020 to 2021

Council Tax guide and expenditure, 2019 to 2020

How we use your Council Tax

We use your Council Tax to pay for many local services like emergency services, rubbish collection, libraries, schools, street lights and much more.

Some of the money goes to pay for the Greater London Authority (GLA) spending.

How we calculate your Council Tax

We calculate your Council Tax using the Valuation Office's bands and the GLA charges.

Council Tax: previous year charges

Read Council Tax charges for previous years (PDF)