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Council tax in West Berkshire
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in West Berkshire for 2026-27 is £2,505 a year for a Band D home, £1,670 for Band A and £5,011 for the top band. That is £94 above the England average of £2,411. It ranks 91 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
- £2,505Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£123 (+5.1%) vs 2025-26
- £1,670Band A, the lowest
- +£94Band D against the England average of £2,411 Above average
- 91 of 296Rank in England, highest first
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
What is the bill for each band?
| Band | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
Band ADetails for Band A | £1,670.25 | £139.19 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,948.62 | £162.39 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £2,227.00 | £185.58 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £2,505.37 | £208.78 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £3,062.12 | £255.18 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £3,618.87 | £301.57 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £4,175.62 | £347.97 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £5,010.74 | £417.56 |
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Who gets the money?
| Who receives it | Band D | Share |
|---|---|---|
West BerkshireDetails for West Berkshire | £2,017 | 81% |
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Other precepting bodiesDetails for Other precepting bodies | £488 | 19% |
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Each body sets its own precept and the council simply collects them together. The council that sends the bill keeps only its own share.
How does it compare?
Band D here is £94 above the England average, 91 of 296 councils from the highest.
How does West Berkshire compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for West Berkshire, 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 year5.1%Higher than the England figure of 4.9%
- Council tax per head£1,024Higher than the England figure of £796
- Ombudsman uphold rate80% (4 of 5)Lower than the England figure of 86%
- Reserves as a share of net spending10%Lower than the England figure of 50%
- Borrowing per home£4,232Higher than the England figure of £3,474
- Accounts, 2024-25Delivered by backstop92% of bodies had an opinion delivered by the backstop date
- Ofsted, children's servicesGood73% of English councils are good or outstanding
- CQC, adult social careGood62% of assessed councils are good or outstanding
- A roads needing maintenance considered4%Lower than the England figure of 5%
- Recycling rate52.5%Higher than the England figure of 42.0%
- Major planning decisions on time86.5%Lower 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?
| Measure | West Berkshire | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints and enquiries receivedDetails for Complaints and enquiries received | 79 | — |
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Complaints and enquiries decidedDetails for Complaints and enquiries decided | 48 | 40 in 2024-25 |
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Detailed investigationsDetails for Detailed investigations | 5 | — |
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UpheldDetails for Upheld | 4 | — |
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Uphold rateDetails for Uphold rate | 80% | 86% for every body the Ombudsman covers; 85% for similar councils |
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Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedyDetails for Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedy | 0% | 13% for every body the Ombudsman covers |
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Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied withDetails for Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied with | 100% | 99.9% for every body the Ombudsman covers |
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Uphold rate in 2024-25Details for Uphold rate in 2024-25 | 70% | — |
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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.
This council is not in the Housing Ombudsman’s landlord tables for 2025-26, which list landlords with five or more findings. Most councils without their own homes are not.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | West Berkshire | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2025-26Details for Net revenue spending, 2025-26 | £162.4m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2025-26Details for Reserves at the end of 2025-26 | £16.7m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 10% | 50% for England; 8% in 2024-25 |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £306.1m | — |
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Borrowing per home on the valuation listDetails for Borrowing per home on the valuation list | £4,232 | £3,474 across English billing authorities |
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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.
It was agreed Exceptional Financial Support for 2025-26, 2026-27. Each is dated and linked in the events below.
What have the auditors said?
| Accounts year | Status recorded by PSAA | Opinion signed |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Delivered by backstop | 27 February 2026 |
| 2023-24 | Delivered by backstop | 28 February 2025 |
“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 West Berkshire 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?
| Measure | West Berkshire | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Children's services, Ofsted overall effectiveness | Good | 28 October 2025. 73% of English councils judged good or outstanding |
| Adult social care, CQC assessment | Good | 17 May 2024. 62% of assessed councils rated good or outstanding |
| A roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 4% | 5% in England |
| B and C roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 3% | 7% in England |
| Unclassified roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 3% | 17% in England |
| Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting, 2024-25 | 52.5% | 42.0% for England |
| Major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of june 2026 | 86.5% | 91.0% for England |
| Non-major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of June 2026 | 86.5% | 90.7% for England |
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 has happened recently?
Decisions and publications by official bodies about West Berkshire, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Council tax
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Audit
PSAA records the status as “Delivered by backstop”; auditor KPMG LLP.Public Sector Audit Appointments
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Exceptional Financial Support
£30.0m (support agreed in-principle); Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £20.0m (from £3.0m)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Exceptional Financial Support
£3.0m (support agreed in-principle); This was subsequently revised to £20.0m (support agreed in-principle); £13.0m for 2024-25Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Election
Liberal Democrats 29, Conservative and Unionist Party 11, Green Party 2, Labour Party 1Democracy Club
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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 21-014-573.Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent West Berkshire 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.
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 West Berkshire: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and West Berkshire on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in West Berkshire?
- Band D is £2,505 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,670 and the top band £5,011.
- Is council tax in West Berkshire higher than average?
- Yes. Band D here is £94 above the England average of £2,411.
Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | Open 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.