Council tax bills rise by nearly £1,000 in 10 years

The average council tax for a Band D property has gone up by nearly £1,000 for some Devon residents over the last ten years, the BBC has found.

Plymouth City Council voted to increase council tax by 4.99% on Monday with Devon County Council voting on Tuesday and Torbay on Thursday for the same level of increase.

It means residents in Band D properties will pay about £120 extra in 2026/27 and government figures show repeated increases mean Band D bills have gone up by between £800 and £1,000 in Devon over the past 10 years.

Council leaders from all the political parties in charge say they want to protect services while dealing with rising costs.

In 2016 the government said local authorities could start adding extra 2% increases to council tax bills to cover rising costs of social care.

Bills vary depending on the district council area but in North Devon, for example, in 2016 the bill for a Band D property was £1,680.

With the latest increase from Devon County Council and with North Devon Council voting on Wednesday the bill for 2026/27 will be almost £1,000 more - at £2,642.

Julian Brazil, the Liberal Democrat leader of Devon County Council, said the council "do not have any choice" but to increase council tax by the maximum amount.

He said: "We've got to deliver these statutory services - adult's services, children's services, repairing our roads

"Government is deliberately passing the buck from central taxation to local taxation and that's why we're going to have to put it up by 5%."

Plymouth City Council voted to increase its council tax on Monday.

An increase of £116 this year will mean the 2016 bill of £1,600 will now go up to £2,440.

The Labour leader of Plymouth City council, Tudor Evans, said the situation for local authorities had improved with the introduction of a three-year settlement but claimed council finances had suffered from years of Conservative governments.

He said: "We can't undo 14 years of austerity overnight."

He said the multi-year funding settlement allowed the council to plan ahead in a way that had not previously been possible.

He said: "We know now we can increase our library services again, we know we can invest more in children's playgrounds, we know we can spend £33m on roads and pavement improvements and clearing the drains - these things matter."

Torbay is due to vote on setting its council tax on Thursday.

A Band D bill there was £1,570 in 2016/17 and could now go up to £2,457 or £2,556 if you live in Brixham.

David Thomas, the Conservative leader of the council, said it was "a really difficult situation" and no councillor came into power wanting to increase council tax.

He said: "Here in Torbay our costs increase each year by about £10m with the cost of inflation and wage costs.

"Most of the costs of the council are people costs and as wages go up that needs to be found, one way or another."

The government said it had made an extra £440m of funding available to local councils in 2026.

It also said the "first multi-year finance settlement in a decade", gave local authorities "the certainty they need to plan ahead, make savings and transform local services".

The government said it was using a new approach based on data "that properly recognises local need and the true costs of providing services in deprived areas".

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