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Council tax in Runnymede

Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.

Council tax in Runnymede for 2026-27 is £2,493 a year for a Band D home, £1,662 for Band A and £4,986 for the top band. That is £82 above the England average of £2,411. It ranks 100 of 296 billing areas in England. Figures are the council's own set rates.

Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Key figures

  • £2,493Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£113 (+4.7%) vs 2025-26 As of 6 April 2026
  • £1,662Band A, the lowest As of 6 April 2026
  • +£82Band D against the England average of £2,411 Above average As of 6 April 2026
  • 100 of 296Rank in England, highest first As of 6 April 2026

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

What is the bill for each band?

£2,493
Band D, Runnymede, 2026-27
Council tax by band in Runnymede, bands A to H
BandA yearA month
Band A
Details for Band A
£1,661.99£138.50
A month
£138.50
Band B
Details for Band B
£1,938.99£161.58
A month
£161.58
Band C
Details for Band C
£2,215.99£184.67
A month
£184.67
Band D
Details for Band D
£2,492.99£207.75
A month
£207.75
Band E
Details for Band E
£3,046.99£253.92
A month
£253.92
Band F
Details for Band F
£3,600.99£300.08
A month
£300.08
Band G
Details for Band G
£4,154.98£346.25
A month
£346.25
Band H
Details for Band H
£4,985.98£415.50
A month
£415.50

Who gets the money?

Runnymede 8%Other precepting bodies 92%
Band D bill in Runnymede by receiving body
Who receives itBand DShare
Runnymede
Details for Runnymede
£2028%
Share
8%
Other precepting bodies
Details for Other precepting bodies
£2,29192%
Share
92%

Each body sets its own precept and the council simply collects them together. The council that sends the bill keeps only its own share.

Where your council tax goes: from your bill to each service

How does it compare?

Band D here is £82 above the England average, 100 of 296 councils from the highest.

Runnymede among the England councils nearest it, Band D 2026-27

Ranked highest first. Every council is in the full table.

Show as a table
Runnymede among the England councils nearest it, Band D 2026-27
NameBand D
96. Wirral£2,501
97. Wokingham£2,498
98. Exeter£2,495
99. Darlington£2,494
100. Runnymede (Runnymede)£2,493
101. Stroud£2,491
102. North Somerset£2,491
103. Thanet£2,491
104. Blaby£2,490

Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

How does Runnymede compare? The report card

Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for Runnymede, each from the body that published it and set against the figure for England. See every council on the council map.

  • Council tax rise this year4.7%Lower than the England figure of 4.9%
  • Council tax per head£978Higher than the England figure of £796
  • Ombudsman uphold rate100% (1 of 1)Higher than the England figure of 86%
  • Reserves as a share of net spending5792%Higher than the England figure of 50%
  • Borrowing per home£14,824Higher than the England figure of £3,474
  • Accounts, 2024-25Post backstop opinion delivered92% of bodies had an opinion delivered by the backstop date
  • Ofsted, children's services (county)Good73% of English councils are good or outstanding
  • CQC, adult social care (county)Good62% of assessed councils are good or outstanding
  • A roads needing maintenance considered (county)4%Lower than the England figure of 5%
  • Recycling rate46.6%Higher than the England figure of 42.0%
  • Major planning decisions on time95.8%Higher than the England figure of 91.0%

Each figure is set against the figure for England as a whole. They are plain comparisons, one measure at a time: there is no overall score and no ranking of councils. Higher is not always better or worse; what each measure does and does not show is on the methodology page.

What do complaints to the ombudsman show?

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman: Runnymede, 2025-26
MeasureRunnymedeFor comparison
Complaints and enquiries received
Details for Complaints and enquiries received
14—
For comparison
—
Complaints and enquiries decided
Details for Complaints and enquiries decided
119 in 2024-25
For comparison
9 in 2024-25
Detailed investigations
Details for Detailed investigations
1—
For comparison
—
Upheld
Details for Upheld
1—
For comparison
—
Uphold rate
Details for Uphold rate
100%86% for every body the Ombudsman covers; 74% for similar councils
For comparison
86% for every body the Ombudsman covers; 74% for similar councils
Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedy
Details for Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedy
0%13% for every body the Ombudsman covers
For comparison
13% for every body the Ombudsman covers
Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied with
Details for Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied with
100%99.9% for every body the Ombudsman covers
For comparison
99.9% for every body the Ombudsman covers
Uphold rate in 2024-25
Details for Uphold rate in 2024-25
100%—
For comparison
—

An uphold rate depends on how many complaints reach a detailed investigation. With few investigations, one decision moves it a long way.

Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Annual review of local government complaints, 2025-26.

The Housing Ombudsman, which handles complaints from council tenants, made 0 findings of severe maladministration against Runnymede Borough Council in 2025-26, out of 8 findings in 3 determinations. Its maladministration rate for this landlord was 50%.

Source: Housing Ombudsman Service, Annual complaints review: landlord tables, 2025-26.

How healthy are its finances?

Reserves, spending and borrowing: Runnymede
MeasureRunnymedeFor comparison
Net revenue spending, 2024-25
Details for Net revenue spending, 2024-25
£1.2m—
For comparison
—
Reserves at the end of 2024-25
Details for Reserves at the end of 2024-25
£71.7m—
For comparison
—
Reserves as a share of net spending
Details for Reserves as a share of net spending
5792%50% for England; 5301% in 2023-24
For comparison
50% for England; 5301% in 2023-24
Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026
Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026
£586.8m—
For comparison
—
Borrowing per home on the valuation list
Details for Borrowing per home on the valuation list
£14,824£3,474 across English billing authorities
For comparison
£3,474 across English billing authorities

Earmarked and unallocated revenue reserves at the end of the year, excluding schools and public health, as a share of net revenue expenditure. Much of any council’s reserves is set aside for particular purposes. Borrowing is total outstanding loans of every kind; councils borrow mainly to pay for buildings, roads and housing, and the figure does not show what the borrowing was for.

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: revenue outturn time series, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Council Taxbase statistics, 2025.

What have the auditors said?

Audit of the accounts: Runnymede
Accounts yearStatus recorded by PSAAOpinion signed
2024-25Post backstop opinion delivered20 March 2026
2023-24Post backstop opinion delivered13 March 2026

“Delivered by backstop” means the auditor gave an opinion by the statutory backstop date. Many opinions given that way were disclaimed or qualified because the deadline cut the audit short; PSAA publishes which type of opinion each council received only as national totals, so it is not shown here. Auditors’ value-for-money findings are in each auditor’s annual report on the council’s website.

Source: Public Sector Audit Appointments, Monthly audit opinion data, 2024-25.

What are senior staff and councillors paid?

Senior pay and councillor allowances for Runnymede have not yet been read from its statement of accounts. There is no central dataset of either; they are being added council by council, each with a link to the page of the accounts it comes from.

How are its services rated?

Service ratings and performance: Runnymede
MeasureRunnymedeFor comparison
Children's services, Ofsted overall effectivenessGood (Surrey County Council)9 May 2025. 73% of English councils judged good or outstanding
Adult social care, CQC assessmentGood (Surrey County Council)20 November 2024. 62% of assessed councils rated good or outstanding
A roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-254% (Surrey County Council)5% in England
B and C roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-255% (Surrey County Council)7% in England
Unclassified roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-2522% (Surrey County Council)17% in England
Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting, 2024-2546.6%42.0% for England
Major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of june 202695.8%91.0% for England
Non-major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of June 202693.0%90.7% for England

Surrey County Council runs children’s services, adult social care and most roads here, so those rows are the county council’s. Inspections happen at different times, so a rating can be several years old; the date is shown with each. Planning figures are measured differently in each nation: share of decisions made within the statutory time (13 weeks for major, 8 for non-major) or an agreed extension, over 24 months. Recycling rates are measured differently in England, Scotland and Wales, so compare within a nation.

Source: Ofsted, Children's social care: local authority inspection outcomes, as at 31 March 2026; Care Quality Commission, Local authority assessments, latest assessment; Department for Transport, Road condition statistics: data tables (RDC), 2024-25; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Local authority collected waste management: annual results, 2024-25; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Live tables on planning application statistics (P151, P153), 24 months to end of June 2026.

What about the county council, Surrey County Council?

Surrey County Council sets its own share of the council tax bill here and runs social care, children’s services, most roads and waste disposal. Its own figures:

Surrey County Council: its own figures
MeasureSurrey County CouncilDetail
Ombudsman uphold rate
Details for Ombudsman uphold rate
89%307 complaints decided, 2025-26
Detail
307 complaints decided, 2025-26
Reserves as a share of net spending
Details for Reserves as a share of net spending
31%2025-26
Detail
2025-26
Outstanding borrowing
Details for Outstanding borrowing
£1.27bnat 30 June 2026
Detail
at 30 June 2026
Accounts, 2024-25
Details for Accounts, 2024-25
Delivered by backstopSigned 28 November 2025
Detail
Signed 28 November 2025
Employees paid £50,000 or more, 2025-26
Details for Employees paid £50,000 or more, 2025-26
2,7042024-25: 2,167. Statement of accounts
Detail
2024-25: 2,167. Statement of accounts

Official events for Surrey County Council:

  1. Audit
    PSAA records the status as “Delivered by backstop”; auditor Ernst & Young LLP.
    Public Sector Audit Appointments
  2. Ombudsman
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 23-000-875.
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
  3. Ombudsman
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 22-000-826.
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
  4. Ombudsman
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 19-020-697.
    Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Annual review of local government complaints, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: revenue outturn time series, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026; Public Sector Audit Appointments, Monthly audit opinion data, 2024-25.

What has happened recently?

Decisions and publications by official bodies about Runnymede, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.

  1. Reorganisation
    From 2027 this area becomes part of West Surrey, a new unitary council that will also take over Surrey County Council’s services in the area.
    legislation.gov.uk, SI 2026/264, the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026
  2. Council tax
    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  3. Audit
    PSAA records the status as “Post backstop opinion delivered”; auditor Grant Thornton UK LLP.
    Public Sector Audit Appointments
  4. Audit backstop
    Draft accounts published by the deadline: yes. Audit opinion delivered by the backstop date: no.
    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  5. Election
    Conservative and Unionist Party 3, Labour and Co-operative Party 3, Liberal Democrats 3, Runnymede Independent Residents' Group 2, Green Party 1, Independent 1, Labour Party 1
    Democracy Club
  6. Election
    Conservative and Unionist Party 5, Independent 2, Liberal Democrats 2, Runnymede Independent Residents' Group 2, Green Party 1, Labour and Co-operative Party 1, Labour Party 1
    Democracy Club
  7. Election
    Conservative and Unionist Party 6, Independent 2, Labour and Co-operative Party 2, Runnymede Independent Residents' Group 2, Green Party 1, Liberal Democrats 1
    Democracy Club

Does the council think something here is wrong?

If you represent Runnymede and think a figure here is wrong, out of date or unfairly presented, email hello@whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk with this page’s address and the source you would point to. Every correction is logged, with its date, on the corrections page.

How much of the council's spending does this cover?

Council tax paid for 14.2% of the money Runnymede had to spend in 2024-25. The rest came from government grants (30.1%), business rates (5.7%) and fees, charges and other income (50.0%). That is why a grant cut can raise your bill even when the council has not changed what it does. See where it goes.

Where can I find out more?

What council tax is and why it works this way, including why the bands are still based on 1991 property values in England and Scotland, and how every area compares, everything else on Runnymede: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and Runnymede on the council map.

Common questions

How much is council tax in Runnymede?
Band D is £2,493 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,662 and the top band £4,986.
Is council tax in Runnymede higher than average?
Yes. Band D here is £82 above the England average of £2,411.

Sources for this page

SourcePublisherFigures as ofUpdatedLicence
Council Tax levels set by local authorities in EnglandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmentthe 2026–27 financial yearannualOpen Government Licence v3.0

Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.

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