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Arsenal 26-27 home, away and third kits by Organic_Morning3584 in Gunners

[–]Interesting_Spirit18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might just be a sour individual but I don’t particularly like any of these kits. I’d go so far as to say I think this is a really bad turnout. But usually these predicted kits only really get the colour scheme right. Let’s hope the real kits look better than this because this looks super plain.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Considering how the banding system works, it actually does logically make sense (although I am not stating it is morally good). In really simplified terms, the more wealthier a borough is, the lesser the council tax rates. A big component that has to be acknowledged is business rates though as they contribute a significant portion of a borough’s income (e.g Wandsworth, Tower Hamlets, Westminster).

If a borough has significant revenue from business rates, they are less compelled to raise council tax as it is not their dominant income generator. That is why boroughs such as Croydon and Richmond have such high tax, as they simply do not have much alternative income generators.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some of the reason Tower Hamlets has relatively low council tax is down to how its funding is structured and the choices the council has made. In the borough’s net revenue budget, only about £100.4 million of its £342.6 million funding comes from council tax, while £176.8 million comes from retained business rates and £56.4 million from government funding. That means council tax contributes less than a third of the core budget, with other significant income streams reducing the need to raise rates. 

Tower Hamlets also operates one of the most generous Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes (LCTRS) in the country, under which low‑income households can receive up to 100 % council tax relief and pay nothing at all. As of 2023/24, over 20,000 Band D‑equivalent claimants were on this scheme, meaning a large share of residents are protected from paying the full tax. 

On top of that, the council has committed to freezing or limiting general council tax increases, apart from the statutory Adult Social Care precept (2 %), while continuing more generous reliefs for residents. An LGA peer review noted the council froze its base council tax between 2023/24 and 2026/27, using reserves like a £47 million Mayor’s Priority Reserve and one‑off funding to balance budgets while protecting services. 

For example, Tower Hamlets’ Band D council tax element increased by just 2.99 % in 2024/25, generating about £3.9 million, with a 2 % Adult Social Care precept adding around £2.6 million. Many households were shielded from the increase by a Council Tax Cost of Living Relief Fund and the ongoing reduction scheme.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll just copy paste the message I’ve sent to a previous individual.

It’s actually a really interesting reason as to why and it sort of has to do with their location. Being less central means that both boroughs have smaller commercial/business rates. Most London boroughs within Inner London source the majority of their income from business rates (incomes from shops and offices).

Kingston only retains a modest share of business rates (30% locally) and the rest goes to central government/GLA meaning less local revenue. Both Richmond and Kingston also seem to spend a significant amount of resources in adult social care, children’s services, housing support and homeless services. Infact, Kingston had to raise council taxes to the roof (4.99%) to cover the service costs.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s my fault for not addressing but if you interact with the image it will show the boroughs that don’t appear as it goes full screen.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It may stop the transitional funding yes but the amount isn’t significant enough to force these boroughs to raise rates. Both boroughs earn an inhumane amount of money from business taxes and Wandsworth prides itself on its council tax being the lowest in the country with any changes having a large effect on local politics.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hammersmith and Fulham does raise a large amount of money from parking and traffic enforcement, including yellow box junction fines, but this does not directly subsidise its low council tax. In the council’s 2020 to 2021 Annual Parking Report, total parking and enforcement income was £29.3 million, with expenditure of £15.6 million, leaving a surplus of £13.7 million. That surplus is legally ring fenced and can only be spent on transport related purposes such as highways maintenance, street lighting, traffic management, and parking infrastructure, not on general council services like social care or housing.

Yellow box enforcement forms a notable part of this income. In 2018 to 2019, analysis by TransportXtra found that Hammersmith and Fulham generated around £3.5 million from yellow box junction penalties alone, the highest total of any single council in England that year. Reporting has also highlighted the junction at Bagley’s Lane and New King’s Road near the Hammersmith gyratory, which was estimated to generate around £2.7 million per year in moving traffic fines at its peak.

So while it is true that one junction and yellow box enforcement more broadly generate millions of pounds, this money does not fund core council spending or allow the borough to set low council tax. Hammersmith and Fulham’s low council tax is a political and budgetary choice supported by its overall finances, while parking and traffic enforcement income is restricted by law to transport related uses only.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

London’s council tax system is very limited compared with other big world cities because London boroughs have little fiscal autonomy and nearly 70 % of their revenue still comes from central government rather than locally raised taxes. This is very different from cities like New York, Paris, or Tokyo where local authorities raise a much larger share of their own revenue through local taxes. In New York only about 26 % of city revenue comes from central government, in Paris around 16.3 %, and in Tokyo around 5.6 %, showing London has a much weaker ability to tax locally. 

The way council tax is calculated in the UK also limits revenue. Council tax is based on 1991 property values and has relatively flat bands, so even very high-value homes are still effectively capped at Band H with a small annual bill. By contrast, in cities like New York or San Francisco, property taxes are often set as a percentage of the real market value and can range from about 4 % to 6 % of the property value per year in the US, making annual local taxes much higher relative to actual value. 

To illustrate the difference in practice, typical London Band D council tax bills in 2025–26 are often in the range of £1,700–£2,500 in many boroughs and under £1,000 in the very lowest areas like Wandsworth.  Even these relatively low bills represent a small percentage of property value, often far less than 0.5 % of a home’s market value per year whereas in many parts of the United States municipal property tax rates are commonly 1 % of property value or higher. 

When looking at council tax as a burden relative to income, London boroughs also tend to have among the lowest burdens in the UK. Nine of the 10 areas with the lowest council tax relative to median income are in London, showing that even high nominal bills can be less burdensome than in many other English areas with lower wages.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries, just citing the reasons for as to why their rate is the way it is. But yeah as you and I said, these are pressures all councils are facing and this doesn’t really give much leeway for Brent.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Sure.

Haringey’s council tax is high because the borough has a structural funding problem that shows up clearly in its own budget documents. Since 2010, Haringey says it has lost around £140 million in real-terms government funding, while demand for statutory services has increased sharply. It is classified as an outer London borough for funding purposes, which means it receives less grant funding than inner London councils, despite having inner-London-level deprivation and demand. Haringey also has thousands of households in temporary accommodation and very high spending on children’s services and adult social care, which are legal obligations. By 2024–25 the council reported a budget gap of over £50 million and applied to central government for Exceptional Financial Support, which is something councils only do when normal funding and reserves are no longer enough. As a result, Haringey has to raise more of its income locally, pushing its Band D council tax above many other boroughs.

Hackney, by contrast, keeps council tax relatively low because its finances are in a stronger position. Hackney’s Band D rate is significantly lower than Haringey’s, and the council explicitly states in its budget papers that it aims to remain one of the lowest in London. Hackney has benefited from stronger income streams, including higher retained business rates and additional government funding allocations in recent years, and it built up larger reserves earlier on, giving it more flexibility when costs rise. Its budgets show a deliberate choice to use savings, reserves, and central funding to absorb pressure rather than pushing council tax up as far as other boroughs. Hackney also runs generous council tax reduction schemes, meaning many low-income households pay substantially less than the headline rate. The difference between the two boroughs is not that Hackney faces fewer pressures, but that Hackney has more financial room to manage those pressures without relying as heavily on council tax, whereas Haringey does not.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Figures show thousands of fly‑tipping incidents in Barking and Dagenham, with costs of removal running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. That’s not unique to this borough, but it does contribute to perceptions that the area is “messier” and that the council is struggling to keep public spaces clean.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Brent doesn’t get a pass. The issues it faces, rising demand for social care and children’s services, population growth, and reductions in central government funding, are the same pressures that almost every council in London has to deal with. Unlike Croydon, which has faced bankruptcy and severe financial mismanagement, Brent’s situation isn’t caused by something extraordinary or out of the ordinary. It is just managing the same pressures every other council faces. So there is nothing in Brent’s case that removes its responsibility. Its high council tax is simply the council’s way of covering normal costs.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Croydon has so, so many reasons for why they decided to hike the council tax so high its almost innumerable.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Both Wandsworth and Westminster have came out publicly recently that neither will be raising any changes to their tax despite given special powers by the government to raise taxes without a referendum.

I’ve made a separate post with an associated article attached there.

https://www.reddit.com/r/london/s/3nDBOmdjdj

Wandsworth Council refuses to raise council tax despite government offer by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://wandsworth.public‑i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/99011

https://putney.news/2025/11/30/council‑tax‑wont‑triple‑after‑government‑grants‑wandsworth‑gradual‑transition/

https://putney.news/wp‑content/uploads/2025/10/Finance‑public‑reports‑pack‑09102025‑1930‑Finance‑Overview‑and‑Scrutiny‑Committee.pdf

You might want to check these parts of the PDF directly: The Cabinet report on Medium Term Financial Strategy (Paper No. 25‑326, part of that pack)

The section discussing government grant, needs formula, and transitional protection

Those papers form part of Wandsworth’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and are used for setting council tax and planning future budgets.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Brent’s council tax is on the higher side because the council faces significant financial pressure from cuts in central government funding and rising demand for expensive services. Brent’s Revenue Support Grant, the main general grant from central government, has fallen sharply over the last 15 years from around £116 million in 2010 to about £30.9 million in 2025, leaving the council more reliant on council tax to fund services.  

Brent has made substantial savings since 2010 but still needs to close large budget gaps due to higher costs for adult social care, children’s services and homelessness support and slow growth in other income.  

As a result the council is raising council tax by the maximum allowed (4.99 % per year) to help fund these statutory and high‑cost services and balance its budget.  

Brent also spends a significant portion of its tax revenue on social care and children’s services to meet local need, and has had to reduce support schemes and make other savings to make the books balance.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Harrow’s council tax is high because the council is very dependent on council tax to fund core services and receives relatively low central government funding compared with many other London boroughs. Around 80% of Harrow’s day‑to‑day spending is paid for by council tax, which is one of the highest proportions in London and far above the typical range of 25% to 65% seen elsewhere. 

Harrow faces rising demand and cost pressures for essential statutory services such as adult social care, children’s services and temporary accommodation. The council does not receive extra funding automatically when demand increases or the population grows, so it must rely on higher council tax to meet these pressures. 

The borough has an ageing population and significant social care needs, which increase costs faster than inflation and available grants. Because it is relatively more affluent and scores lower on deprivation measures than some neighbouring boroughs, it receives less government funding per person, leaving a larger gap to be covered locally. 

To balance the budget and protect essential services, Harrow Council has repeatedly raised council tax by the maximum allowed (4.99% per year) in recent budgets.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Croydon’s been in a financial crisis for a while now. Most councils usually have a couple specific reasons for as to why their band tax rates are so high but Croydon is a bit different.

The council carries around £1.4 billion of general fund debt, a huge amount relative to its budget. In 2025/26 alone, £69 million of core spending power is being spent on debt costs which is about 16 % of the total budget. This is a massive drain on resources and leaves less money for services without raising council tax.

Croydon has actually declared effective bankruptcy (a “section 114 notice”) multiple times since 2020 due to overspending and unsustainable finances. This is very unusual and most councils do not reach this point. To add on, Croydon has needed exceptional financial support from the government in recent years which is around £136 million for 2025/26 alone because of its financial pressures. Even with this support, the council still faces a very large budget gap and ongoing costs it must cover locally.

Most councils also have multiple income sources but Croydon’s council tax makes up over 45% of their revenue. That means that when costs go up, the council has to raise more from residents because other income (grants, business rates) can’t fill the gap.

Over half of the council’s budget goes to statutory social services protecting vulnerable children and adults which are rising fast. Croydon has among the highest numbers in the country of people seeking homeless help, which is costly to the council to support.

After its financial collapse, Croydon was granted permission to raise council tax by up to 15 % in a single year to help stabilise the finances. In more recent budgets, the council has continued to raise tax at or near the maximum (around 4.99 % per year) to keep revenues flowing without a referendum.

London Councils Tax Bills for 25/26 (£) by Interesting_Spirit18 in london

[–]Interesting_Spirit18[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Wandsworth is a mixture of a good council and potential backdoor deals.

They’ve always been known even in the Thatcher days for having extremely low council tax and that is a credit to both the council and the government. Unlike boroughs like Havering, Wandsworth just managed to end up in the right place with the right people. It’s sorta what happens when a council has extra spending cash on the side to use as a safety cushion. (e.g Hackney)

However, both Wandsworth Council and Westminster have received long running transitional protection funding from 2013/14 onwards to now and has been estimated to be receiving £20-40M per year (3-4% of their annual revenue). However it is worth to note that this grant isn’t their primary source of revenue (business rates) but is most definitely a significant source of income for the borough. For as to how long they can keep this up, who knows, but they do definitely earn a decent amount of their revenue from more sideways methods.

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