What is Council Tax?
Council Tax is a local taxation system applied to domestic properties. Each property has a valuation band (A to H) based on its value, with higher bands paying more tax. There is one Council Tax bill for each home in the country, whether it's a house, flat, mobile home or houseboat.
Why do we need to pay Council Tax?
The tax funds local services such as education, social care, and waste management. Council services are also paid for by government grants, fees and other charges.
We keep most of the Council Tax we collect, the rest goes to the local police service, fire service, and the town and parish councils.
Download our Council Tax Explanatory Notes
Who pays Council Tax?
Council Tax is usually paid by the person who owns, occupies or rents the property.
Where there are two or more people who are joint owners or joint tenants, they are both responsible for paying.
Married couples, civil partners and people living together as a couple are jointly liable for the whole bill while they both live at the address.
This is the person or people who come highest in this list:
- you lease the property
- you are a tenant
- you have some other right to occupy the property
- you are a resident
- you own the property
The owner of the property will be the person who pays Council Tax for:
- houses in multiple occupation, for example, a bedsit
- homes occupied by resident staff
- residential care homes
- religious communities
- asylum seekers
Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website.
What are the Council Tax bands?
There are eight Council Tax bands.
Your band and the amount of Council Tax you pay depends on the value of your home. The more expensive your home, the higher the band and bigger the charge.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) gave every home a valuation band from A to H according to its value. Current market values may not be the best guide to the band your home is in.
If you're thinking about buying a home be aware that the band may be increased after the sale if the previous owner had improved or extended the property.
Council Tax bands are based on market values in April 1991.
- Band A valued at under £40,000
- Band B valued at £40,001 to £52,000
- Band C valued at £52,001 to £68,000
- Band D valued at £68,001 to £88,000
- Band E valued at £88,001 to £120,000
- Band F valued at £120,001 to £160,000
- Band G valued at £160,001 to £320,000
- Band H valued at more than £321,000
How can I find my Council Tax band?
Details of the Council Tax band for every domestic property can be found on the Valuation Office Agency website.
How do I appeal against by Council Tax band?
You can appeal against your Council Tax band by contacting the Valuation Office Agency, not the council, if:
- the value of your home as gone up because of building works
- the value of your home has gone down because of demolition or any other physical change to the property's location
- part of the property starts or stops being used as a business
You can also appeal within six months of:
- moving home
- having to pay Council Tax for the first time in respect of the address
- a change being made to the band by the listing officer
What are the Council Tax charges?
We've set band D Council Tax for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2025 as £2,608.83.
This is made up of
- £2,281.95 to the council
- £300.23 to Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner
- £85.65 to Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority
The amount paid to the council has increased by 4.99% for 2025 to 2026.
These figures do not include the town or parish precepts.
For details of the Council Tax charges in each parish: