How your Council Tax is calculated
Information about Council Tax, bands and charges
All domestic properties in the country must pay Council Tax. This includes houses, flats, caravans and boats.
How is Council Tax calculated?
Each property is placed in a band according to its value (based on the market value of the property in 1991).
Bands range from A to H, with A being the cheapest and H being the most expensive.
To find out the band of your property please visit the Valuations Office Agency website.
This table shows the current property banding for Council Tax and then the amount of Council Tax each band has to pay depending on where you live in the City.
Council Tax 2026-2027 - the amount you pay
| Valuation band |
Range of values £ |
Council Tax 2026-27 Leigh-on-Sea Town Council area £ |
Council Tax 2026-27 all other parts of the city £ |
Ratio to band D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Up to and including £40,000 | £1,543.80 | £1,504.20 | 6/9 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | £1,801.09 | £1,754.90 | 7/9 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | £2,058.39 | £2,005.60 | 8/9 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | £2,315.69 | £2,256.30 | 1 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | £2,830.29 | £2,757.70 | 11/9 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | £3.344.89 | £3,259.10 | 13/9 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | £3,859.49 | £3,760.50 | 15/9 |
| H | More than £320,000 | £4,631.39 | £4,512.60 | 18/9 |
Changes in house prices mean that your homes current value may be different than it would have been in April 1991. But this does not mean that the Council Tax valuation is wrong and is, therefore, not likely to be grounds for appeal.
To find out how to appeal against your Council Tax band, please use our how to appeal against your Council Tax band page.
The following table shows the breakdown of our spending on services in 2026/27.
How the Council Tax money is spent
Councils spending on services 2026/27
|
2025-26 Revised EXP £m |
INC £m |
NET £m |
Portfolio |
2026-27 EXP £m |
INC £m |
NET £m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.4 | (14.3) | 8.1 | Leader: Infrastructure and Corporate Strategy | 21.6 | (14.5) | 7.1 |
| 9.2 | (6.9) | 2.3 | Deputy Leader: Housing and Planning | 9.1 | (3.4) | 5.7 |
| 12.3 | (4.5) | 7.8 | Business, Culture, Music and Tourism | 11.5 | (3.6) | 7.9 |
| 138.1 | (86.1) | 52.0 | Children, Learning and SEND | 146.1 | (88.8) | 57.3 |
| 34.4 | (6.6) | 27.8 | Climate, Environment and Waste | 31.0 | (6.2) | 24.8 |
| 16.7 | (2.0) | 14.7 | Community Safety and Regulatory Services | 13.8 | (2.4) | 11.4 |
| 79.2 | (67.9) | 11.3 | Finance, Assets and Public Transport | 78.6 | (68.2) | 10.4 |
| 5.4 | (1.1) | 4.3 | Regeneration and Law and Governance | 7.0 | (1.7) | 5.3 |
| 108.3 | (47.2) | 61.1 | Social Care and Healthier Communities | 120.2 | (54.1) | 66.1 |
| 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.9 | Levies | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| 1.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 | Contingency | 6.1 | 0.0 | 6.1 |
| 21.9 | (9.3) | 12.6 | Financing Costs, Interest etc | 21.5 | (8.3) | 13.2 |
| 0.0 | (28.2) | (28.2) | Non Service Specific Grants | 0.0 | (12.0) | (12.0) |
| 0.3 | (11.5) | (11.2) | Earmarked Reserves and Capital Contributions | (2.6) | 0.0 | (2.6) |
| 450.8 | (285.6) | 165.2 | Total Southend-on-Sea City Council | 464.8 | (263.2) | 201.6 |
| (46.4) | Business Rates | (42.5) | ||||
| (7.8) | Revenue Support Grant | (42.4) | ||||
| (1.4) | Collection Fund Surplus | (1.0) | ||||
| 110.1 | SCC Unparished Council Tax Requirement | 115.7 | ||||
| 0.5 | Leigh Town Council Precept | 0.5 | ||||
| 104.0 | Total SCC Council Tax Requirement | 116.2 | ||||
| 15.8 | Essex Police and Crime Commissioner | 16.9 | ||||
| 5.3 | Essex Fire Authority | 5.7 | ||||
| 131.2 | Total Council Tax Requirement | 138.8 |
Levies
The City Council is required to contribute to the services provided in Southend-on-Sea by the following bodies.
|
2025 - 2026 £000 |
Services Provided |
2026 - 2027 £000 |
|---|---|---|
| 219 | Essex Local Flood Defence – Environment Agency | 222 |
| 621 | Coroner's Court | 692 |
| 25 | Kent and Essex Inshore and Conservation Authority | 26 |
| 865 | Total | 940 |
Flood status warnings and information booklets are available from the 24 hour floodline service on 0345 988 1188.
Councils Spending 2026-2027 at Council Tax Band D Equivalent
|
Band D Equivalent
|
2025 - 2026 £ |
2026- 2027 £ |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Expenditure | 7,183.77 | 7,586.50 |
| Gross Income | (4,471.68) | (4,296.04) |
| Net Expenditure | 2,712.09 | 3,290.46 |
| Business Rates | (762.20) | (693.82) |
| Formula Grant | (128.15) | (691.85) |
| Use of Reserves | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Collection Fund Surplus | (23.00) | (16.32) |
| What You Will Pay at Band D |
2025- 2026 £ |
2026- 2027 £ |
% Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southend-on-Sea City Council* | 1,798.74 | 1,888.47 | 4.99% |
| Essex PFCC - Police and Community Safety | 260.37 | 275.31 | 5.74% |
| Essex PFCC - Fire and Rescue Authority | 87.57 | 92.52 | 5.65% |
|
Other than Leigh-on-Sea Town Council Area |
2,146.68 | 2,256.30 | 5.11% |
| Leigh-on-Sea Town Council | 53.25 | 59.39 | 11.53% |
| Leigh-on-Sea Town Council Area | 2,199.93 | 2,315.69 | 5.26% |
* this includes a 2.0% increase specifically for Adult Social Care.
Government statement concerning adult social care funding
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has made an offer to Councils with responsibility for adult social care. (“Adult social care authorities” are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)
The offer for the financial year 2026–27 is the option of a Council with responsibility for adult social care being able to increase their council tax by an additional 2% on top of the core principle, without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting expenditure on adult social care.
How the money will be spent, where the money in Southend comes from and Capital Expenditure
| What the money is spent on | 2025 - 2026- Original £m | 2026 - 2027 £m |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 100.4 | 106.9 |
| Running Expenses | 293.9 | 321.3 |
| Schools Budget | 27.2 | 19.2 |
| Cost of Capital | 15.9 | 17.4 |
| Total | 437.4 | 464.8 |
Where the money comes from
| 2025 - 2026 £m | 2026 - 2027 £m | |
|---|---|---|
| Government Grants | (182.4) | (168.7) |
| Other Grants and Reimbursements | (24.2) | (26.1) |
| Rents | (6.6) | (6.8) |
| Other Income | (59.1) | (61.6) |
| Business Rates | (46.4) | (42.5) |
| Revenue Supt, Grant | (7.8) | (42.4) |
| Collection Fund | (1.4) | (1.0) |
| General Reserve | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Capital Reserve | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Council Tax | (109.5) | (115.7) |
| Total | 437.4 | 464.8 |
Capital Investment in Southend
The council has plans to spend a total of £90.4m on capital schemes for 2026 - 2027.
| General Fund Services | £m |
|---|---|
| Highways and Infrastructure | 20.6 |
| Highways and Infrastructure - Better Queensway | 11.6 |
| Enterprise and Regeneration - Levelling Up Fund | 10.0 |
| Investment in ICT | 3.6 |
| School Improvement | 3.4 |
| Improvements and Priority Works to Council Property | 2.9 |
| Southend Pier | 2.4 |
| Disabled Facilities Grants | 2.3 |
| Enterprise and Regeneration - other | 1.2 |
| Community Infracture Levy/S106 schemes | 0.9 |
| Culture and Tourism | 0.7 |
| Total | 59.6 |
| Council Housing | £m |
|---|---|
| Council Housing Refurbishment | 14.7 |
| Council Housing New Build Programme | 13.8 |
| Housing Acquisitions Programme | 1.6 |
| Disabled Adaptations | 0.7 |
| Total | 30.8 |
Calculation for the percentage increase for the 2026/27 Council Tax
The Council has increased the Council Tax charge for 2026-27 by 4.99%.
This is an increase of 2.99% on the standard Council charge and a 2.0% increase on the Adult Social Care (ASC) Precept charge which is used to helpfund the rising cost of social care services for older and disabled adults.
How we calculate the increases
The standard Council charge and the ASC Precept make up the 'Total Council Charge.' It is this overall charge that is used to work out both increases for 2026-27. The Total Council Charge for 2025-26 was £1,798.74 for a Band D property. The £1,798.74 was made up of the standard Council charge for 2025-26 of £1,516.35, plus an ASC Precept of £282.39).
Standard Council charge increase - 2.99%
Firstly, we multiply the Total Council Charge for 2025-26 by 2.99%.
£1,798.74 x 2.99% = £53,78
We then add that increase to the 2025-26 standard Council charge.
£1,516.35 + £53.78 = £1,570.13
ASC Precept charge increase - 2.0%
Firstly, we multiply the Total Council Tax Charge for 2025-26 by 2.0%.
£1,798.74 x 2.0% = £35.95
We then add that increase to the 2025-26 ASC Precept charge.
£282.39 + £35.95 = £318.34
Total Council charge for 2025-26
The Total Council charge for 2025-26 is the new standard Council charge
(£1,516.35) plus the new ASC Precept charge (£282.39) which equals £1,798.74
| Charge Type | Band A £ | Band B £ | Band C £ | Band D £ | Band E £ | Band F £ | Band G £ | Band H £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Council Charge 2024-25 | 976.75 | 1,139.54 | 1,302.33 | 1,465.12 | 1,790.70 | 2,116.28 | 2,441.87 | 2,930.24 |
| Adult Social Care Precept (ASC) 2024-25 | 165.41 | 192.98 | 220.55 | 248.12 | 303.26 | 358.40 | 413.53 | 496.24 |
| Total Council Charge 2024-25 | 1,142.16 | 1,332.52 | 1,522.88 | 1,713.24 | 2,093.96 | 2,474.68 | 2,855.40 | 3,426.48 |
| Increase in Standard Council charge for 2025-26 (2024-25 Council charge x 2.99%) | 34.15 | 39.85 | 45.54 | 51.23 | 62.61 | 74.00 | 85.38 | 102.46 |
| 2025-26 Standard Council charge on bill (2024-25 Standard Council charge + calculated increase) | 1,010.90 | 1,179.38 | 1,347.87 | 1,516.35 | 1,853.32 | 2,190.28 | 2,527.25 | 3,032.70 |
| Increase in Adult Social Care Precept for 2025-26 (2024-25 Council charge x 2.0%) | 22.85 | 26.65 | 30.46 | 34,27 | 41.89 | 49.50 | 57.12 | 68.54 |
| 2025-26 ASC Charge on Bill (2024-25 ASC + calculated increase) | 188.26 | 219.64 | 251.01 | 282.39 | 345.14 | 407.90 | 470.65 | 564.78 |
| Total Council Charge 2025-26 | 1,199.16 | 1,399.02 | 1,598.88 | 1,798.74 | 2,198.46 | 2,598.18 | 2,997.90 | 3,597.48 |
Leigh-on-Sea Town Council Precept 2026-27
Leigh-on- Sea Town Council takes extremely seriously and appreciates that households within our boundary pay an additional Council tax. This element is the only amount that is fully spent on Leigh-on-Sea for which the Town Council has full control. This year the Town Council invested in having a professional building survey conducted on the Community Centre after realising the building was in need of some much needed and long awaited TLC. The Town Council recognises how important the Community Centre is to the residents and investing in its structure and making it the best it can be for all our users is extremely important. It is a focal point and in some cases a lifeline for getting out and meeting others.
The Council had a long meeting looking at and considering how it can fund the works which were highlighted in the report. Thinking about how to ease the process and appreciating that works can be undertaken over a period of years rather than all in one go. However there are a few concerns that need a far more prompt response such as replacing the boiler. Therefore, the Council took the decision to raise the precept this year to help with the cost.
Throughout the year Councillors and staff have continued to provide an outstanding service for the residents; providing an increase in events, a fantastic Christmas Lights switch on evening and becoming far more inclusive with a standard that is second to none. The Town Council continues to improve what it offers to all residents of Leigh-on-Sea supporting the community, charities and all local businesses.
The precept for 2026/27 is £543,431.22 which equates to Band D council tax figure of £59.39, an increase of £6.14 per annum.
Leigh on Sea Town Council continues to provide services which include the following:
- help support and provide information for our residents on a huge range of issues
- maintain our role as statutory consultee on planning, highways and licensing
- working with and supporting volunteers, community partners/groups and local businesses
- events and activities throughout the year
- fortnightly Over 60’s Lunch Club to combat isolation in our community
- children’s’ holiday activities programmes run throughout the whole year
- christmas lights display including the Library Gardens christmas tree
- supporting the arts in Leigh with our Artist in Residents and our Art Walls
- support for the Folk Festival, Leigh Art Trail, Old Leigh Regatta and the Shanty Festival
- helping to protect the environment and heritage of Leigh
- undertaking Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) projects for the benefit of Leigh and our residents
- provision of a Special Constables programme for the Leigh Town Council area
- providing and managing community facilities in particular the Community Centre, Skate Park, Strand Wharf, Bell Wharf Beach paddling pool, and 17 acres of allotment sites
- community engagement with our residents using various methods - face to face, social media, websites
- a monthly news update in the local press
- representing our residents to other authorities
- supporting a youth club
- a community trips scheme supporting elderly residents and providing social contact
- a local employer of staff to facilitate and manage all Council services including the Community Centre
- continuing with repairs and improvements at the Community Centre
- Grant Award Fund to support community groups, organisations and charities
- summer hanging flower baskets
- maintain the tidal paddling pools at Bell Wharf Beach and Gypsy Bridge
The Town Council is always looking at how it can support and help the community. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Council via email admin@leighonseatowncouncil.gov.uk or via phone 01702 716288 or by popping in to speak with us. The office staff and the Town Clerk are always very happy to help.
Leigh-on-Sea Town Council expenditure plans 2026–27
Expenditure
- community and culture - £312,398
- staffing - £250,770
- finance and governance - £76,545
- refurbishment - £62,500
- Allotments - £19,460
Income
- community and culture - £129,202
- finance and governance - £29,040
- allotments - £20,000
Total Precept 2026/27 - £543,431
The Policing and Fire and Rescue Service Precept charges for 2026/2027 are available from their website