Reading Council Tax 2026/27

Reading’s 2026/27 budget in numbers

Reading Borough Council set its own Band D charge, including the adult social care precept, at £2,223.18. That is up £105.66, or 4.99%. The general element rose £63.31 to £1,849.80, and the adult social care precept rose £42.35 to £373.38. Thames Valley Police added £15 (to £298.28) and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue £5 (to £91.31). That makes the full Band D bill £2,612.77, up £125.66.

The council’s net budget rises by £21.6 million to £199.7 million, driven by £27.4 million of budget pressures and £6.1 million of contract inflation. Council tax raises £134.2 million of this. Reading’s Revenue Support Grant rises from £2.8 million to £36.7 million, while its local share of business rates falls from £47.9 million to £34.9 million.

Council Tax Reduction: working-age support capped at 70%

Reading’s 2026/27 Council Tax Reduction scheme limits working-age claimants to 70% of their bill, and that 70% is worked out on no more than a Band D charge. So even someone with no income pays 30%, and people in Band E or above pay the whole of the difference above Band D as well. For 2026/27, a working-age claimant on full support pays at least £609.65 in a Band B home, £783.83 in Band D, and £1,364.45 in Band E.

The 2026/27 scheme document excludes working-age claimants with savings over £6,000, while pensioners can have up to £16,000. The council’s Council Tax Support web page still quotes a single £16,000 limit, so if your savings are between the two figures, ask the benefits team which applies. If you already get Council Tax Reduction and still cannot pay the rest of your bill, the council has a limited discretionary fund for short-term help. If you disagree with a decision, ask the benefits team to look at it again; appeals can take up to two months. If you still disagree, or hear nothing within two months, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal, normally within two months of the council’s decision.

Care leavers, empty homes and paying

• Care leavers get a tapered discount: 100% at age 18 to 20, 66% at 21 to 22, and 33% at 23 to 24. It ends at 25.
• Empty homes have had no discount since April 2017, including during major renovation. The bill doubles after 12 months empty and unfurnished, triples after five years and quadruples after ten. Furnished homes with no main resident have paid double from the first day since 1 April 2025, so a Band D second home costs £5,225.54.
• Direct Debit dates are the 1st, 8th, 15th or 25th, over 10 or 12 months. Payments not made by Direct Debit are due on the 1st. You can also pay by text message or through the Allpay app.