Dudley Council Tax 2026/27
Band D council tax in Dudley is £2,144.84 for 2026/27, up 5.2% (£106.27) on last year. That is £246.68 below the England average of £2,391.52 — the 19th lowest of 296 councils. Most homes here are in Band A (31%), so the average bill per home is about £1,792.
Updated 2026-10-03 · Metropolitan district, West Midlands · Official England government statistics
Dudley council tax bands 2026/27
| Band | Property value (1991) | Annual | 10 instalments | 12 instalments | Living alone (−25%) | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,429.89 | £142.99 | £119.16 | £1,072.42 | 43,660 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | £1,668.21 | £166.82 | £139.02 | £1,251.16 | 40,420 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | £1,906.52 | £190.65 | £158.88 | £1,429.89 | 31,270 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | £2,144.84 | £214.48 | £178.74 | £1,608.63 | 16,470 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | £2,621.47 | £262.15 | £218.46 | £1,966.10 | 7,210 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | £3,098.10 | £309.81 | £258.18 | £2,323.58 | 2,530 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | £3,574.73 | £357.47 | £297.89 | £2,681.05 | 990 |
| H | More than £320,000 | £4,289.68 | £428.97 | £357.47 | £3,217.26 | 140 |
- Dudley
- England average
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Where your Dudley council tax goes
Your bill is collected by Dudley but shared between 4 bodies. Of the £2,144.84 Band D charge, £1,815.15 (85%) stays with the council itself; the rest pays for police and crime commissioner, fire and rescue authority.
| Body | Band D | Share | Band A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council (incl. earlier adult social care) | £1,780.58 | 83.0% | £1,187.05 |
| Adult social care precept: 2026/27 increase | £34.57 | 1.6% | £23.05 |
| Police and crime commissioner | £244.50 | 11.4% | £163.00 |
| Fire and rescue authority | £85.19 | 4.0% | £56.79 |
- Council (incl. earlier adult social care) £1,781 83.0%
- Adult social care precept: 2026/27 increase £35 1.6%
- Police and crime commissioner £245 11.4%
- Fire and rescue authority £85 4.0%
Dudley council tax history
Band D in Dudley has risen from £1,337.82 in 2016/17 to £2,144.84 in 2026/27 — 60% in 10 years. Over the last five years it rose 26.8%, the 68th biggest increase of 296 councils in England.
- Dudley Band D
| Year | Band D | Change | Band A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | £2,144.84 | +5.2% | £1,429.89 |
| 2025/26 | £2,038.57 | +5.2% | £1,359.05 |
| 2024/25 | £1,937.46 | +5.1% | £1,291.64 |
| 2023/24 | £1,843.97 | +5.4% | £1,229.31 |
| 2022/23 | £1,749.45 | +3.5% | £1,166.30 |
| 2021/22 | £1,691.10 | +5.3% | £1,127.40 |
| 2020/21 | £1,605.96 | +4.2% | £1,070.64 |
| 2019/20 | £1,541.75 | +5.7% | £1,027.83 |
| 2018/19 | £1,458.92 | +4.9% | £972.61 |
| 2017/18 | £1,390.61 | +3.9% | £927.07 |
| 2016/17 | £1,337.82 | – | £891.88 |
Homes by council tax band in Dudley
Dudley has 142,690 homes on the valuation list (31 March 2026). 59% are in Bands A or B, so for most households the real bill is well below the Band D figure. The most common band is A, which costs £1,429.89 a year (£142.99 a month over 10 instalments).
Dudley compared with West Midlands
Dudley is the 1st cheapest of 30 councils in West Midlands, where the average Band D across councils is £2,399.67 (£254.83 more than here). Cheapest: Dudley (£2,144.84); most expensive: Walsall (£2,627.48).
| Council | Band D 2026/27 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dudley | £2,144.84 | +5.2% |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £2,183.12 | +5% |
| Solihull | £2,197.26 | +5.2% |
| Sandwell | £2,244.46 | +5.2% |
Discounts and reductions
- Living alone: 25% off — a Band A bill in Dudley drops from £1,429.89 to £1,072.42.
- Council Tax Reduction: Dudley runs its own scheme for people on low incomes or benefits — rules differ from council to council in England.
- Disregards and exemptions: full-time students, student halls, some carers and people with a severe mental impairment are not counted; all-student homes pay nothing.
- Disabled Band Reduction: if your home has been adapted for a disabled person you may be billed one band lower (Band A homes get a reduction of 1/9 of Band D).
Dudley's 5.2% rise compares with an England average of 4.9%. Councils responsible for social care can raise their own share by up to 4.99% without a referendum, districts by under 3% or £5, and police and fire bodies by fixed cash amounts — so the area total can move by a different percentage.
Why Dudley raised council tax in 2026/27
Dudley Council raised its own share of the bill by 4.99% from 1 April 2026, made up of the 2.99% general increase and the 2% adult social care precept. Its budget leaflet puts gross service spending at £893.7 million, £44.5 million more than in 2025/26, including £27.1 million of growth to services, £6 million of pay costs and £7.1 million of efficiency savings.
The council needs £178.8 million from council tax, spread over a tax base of about 98,500 Band D-equivalent homes. That gives Dudley's own Band D charge of £1,815.15, of which £34.57 is this year's adult social care increase. West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire add £244.50 and £85.19, making £2,144.84 in total. Dudley has no parish councils, so that figure is what every Band D home pays.
Adult social care is the single biggest service budget after schools, at £220.7 million in 2026/27, and other children’s services rose from £88.5 million to £103.1 million.
Dudley's Council Tax Reduction: 40% at most for working-age claimants
Since April 2025 every working-age claimant pays at least 60% of their bill: the 2026/27 scheme sets the maximum reduction at 40%, up from 77% before the change. Support is also worked out as if the home were in Band C, even if it is in Band D or above.
Worked example: a working-age claimant with no other income in a Band A home (£1,429.89) gets at most £571.96 off and pays £857.94. In a Band D home the reduction is limited to 40% of the Band C charge (£762.61), leaving £1,382.23 to pay.
- Other adults living with you reduce support by a flat £5 a week each, whatever they earn. No deduction is made if you or your partner get PIP daily living or DLA care.
- Alternative Maximum Council Tax Reduction (the "second adult" rebate) was removed for working-age claimants in April 2025.
- Pensioners are protected by national rules and can still get up to 100% off. The capital limit in the scheme is £16,000.
- Some Dudley care leavers under 25 can have their bill reduced to nil, and the council can grant discretionary relief under section 13A.
Empty and furnished homes in Dudley
Dudley's full council agreed on 4 March 2024 to use the new premium powers from 1 April 2025. Unfurnished homes empty for one to five years pay double, five to ten years treble and ten years or more four times the normal bill. Furnished homes that nobody lives in as their main home pay double once empty for a year. On the most common band, Band A (43,660 homes), a second home pays £2,859.79.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Band D council tax in Dudley?
£2,144.84 a year in 2026/27, or £214.48 a month over 10 instalments. This includes police, fire and average parish precepts.
What council tax band are most homes in Dudley?
Band A: 43,660 of 142,690 homes (31%). A Band A bill is £1,429.89 in 2026/27.
How much has Dudley council tax gone up?
5.2% this year, from £2,038.57 to £2,144.84 at Band D. Since 2016/17 it has risen 60%.
Who gets the council tax I pay in Dudley?
Council (incl. earlier adult social care) £1,780.58; Adult social care precept: 2026/27 increase £34.57; Police and crime commissioner £244.50; Fire and rescue authority £85.19 (Band D, 2026/27).
How do I find my council tax band?
Search your postcode on GOV.UK “Check your Council Tax band”, run by the Valuation Office Agency. You can challenge your band if you think it is wrong.
What is the most Council Tax Reduction a working-age person can get in Dudley?
40% of the bill, worked out on no more than the Band C charge. On a Band A home that is £571.96 off in 2026/27, leaving £857.94 to pay.
By how much did Dudley Council increase its share of council tax?
By 4.99% from 1 April 2026, including the adult social care precept. Police and fire precepts are set separately.
Do I pay a parish precept in Dudley?
No. Dudley has no parish or town councils, so the Band D bill is £2,144.84 across the whole borough.
Sources
Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.
- MHCLG: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
- MHCLG: Council Tax levels 2026-27, Tables 1 to 9 (ODS)
- MHCLG: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027, Table 10 local authority level data
- MHCLG: Council Tax levels 2025-26 (revised), Table 10 Local Authority Level Data (ODS), used for England % change
- VOA / GOV.UK: Understand how Council Tax bands are assessed
- GOV.UK: Council Tax – who has to pay (single person discount)
- MHCLG: Band D Council Tax figures 1993 onwards, Table 5 area Band D (live table, 2026-27 revised)
- VOA: Council Tax stock of properties 2026, Table CTSOP1.0 (properties by band at 31 March 2026, England and Wales)
- Dudley Council – Council Tax Reduction Scheme
- Dudley Council – Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2026-27 (PDF)
- Dudley Council – Council's spending and budgetary information 2026/27 (PDF)
- Dudley Council – Empty home premiums