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Council tax in Southend-on-Sea 2026/27

£2,265a year for a Band D home in Southend-on-Sea, 2026/27: £227 a month over ten instalments

A Band D home in Southend-on-Sea pays £2,265.17 in council tax for 2026/27, up £111 (5.1%) on 2025/26. Band A pays £1,510 and Band H £4,530. Southend-on-Sea is among the cheapest third of England's 296 billing authorities (rank 259), £126 below the England average of £2,392.

Assumptions: financial year 2026/27 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027); a dwelling occupied by two adults with no discount, exemption or council tax support; the area average including the average parish precept (1 parish and town councils in Southend-on-Sea set a precept, so bills differ between parishes). Figures as published by MHCLG on 2026-03-25.

All eight bands in Southend-on-Sea

ASouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £1,259Essex Police: £184Essex PCC-Fire: £62Parish precept (average): £6£1,510BSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £1,469Essex Police: £214Essex PCC-Fire: £72Parish precept (average): £7£1,762CSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £1,679Essex Police: £245Essex PCC-Fire: £82Parish precept (average): £8£2,013DSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £1,888Essex Police: £275Essex PCC-Fire: £93Parish precept (average): £9£2,265reference bandESouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £2,308Essex Police: £336Essex PCC-Fire: £113Parish precept (average): £11£2,769FSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £2,728Essex Police: £398Essex PCC-Fire: £134Parish precept (average): £13£3,272GSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £3,147Essex Police: £459Essex PCC-Fire: £154Parish precept (average): £15£3,775HSouthend-on-Sea (billing authority): £3,777Essex Police: £551Essex PCC-Fire: £185Parish precept (average): £18£4,530
  • Southend-on-Sea (billing authority)
  • Essex Police
  • Essex PCC-Fire
  • Parish precept (average)

Each rung is one valuation band; its length is the annual bill and the colours show who receives the money. Bands are fixed proportions of Band D: A is 6/9, H is 18/9.

Band1991 valueA yearA month (10)A month (12)Change on 2025/26
Aup to £40,000£1,510.11£151.01£125.84+£73.68
B£40,001 to £52,000£1,761.80£176.18£146.82+£85.96
C£52,001 to £68,000£2,013.48£201.35£167.79+£98.24
Dreference band£68,001 to £88,000£2,265.17£226.52£188.76+£110.52
E£88,001 to £120,000£2,768.54£276.85£230.71+£135.08
F£120,001 to £160,000£3,271.91£327.19£272.66+£159.64
G£160,001 to £320,000£3,775.28£377.53£314.61+£184.20
Hmore than £320,000£4,530.34£453.03£377.53+£221.04

Annual figures are MHCLG's Table 9 (area council tax by band). The change on 2025/26 applies the statutory band ratio to last year's Band D, so it is exact for Band D and rounded to the pound for other bands. Councils normally bill in ten monthly instalments from April; you can ask for twelve.

Who receives the money

Of the £2,265 Band D bill, £1,888 (83%) is Southend-on-Sea's own council tax, of which £36 is this year's adult social care precept increase. The rest is collected on behalf of other bodies:

Band D in Southend-on-Sea, five years

£1,8562022/23+4.0%
£1,9532023/24+5.3%
£2,0502024/25+5.0%
£2,1552025/26+5.1%
£2,2652026/27+5.1%

Between 2022/23 and 2026/27 the Band D bill in Southend-on-Sea rose from £1,856 to £2,265, 22.1% in 4 years. England's average went from £1,966 to £2,392 over the same period (21.7%).

Brick houses beneath the lighthouse in Southwold
Photo: marcart, Pixabay

Nearby councils in the East of England

CouncilBand ABand DBand HChange
Braintree£1,520£2,280£4,561+3.9%
Brentwood£1,505£2,258£4,516+4.2%
Colchester£1,522£2,283£4,566+4.1%
Epping Forest£1,518£2,277£4,554+4.1%
Harlow£1,532£2,299£4,597+3.7%
Peterborough£1,529£2,293£4,587+4.9%
Southend-on-Sea£1,510£2,265£4,530+5.1%
Tendring£1,513£2,270£4,539+4.2%
Thurrock£1,503£2,255£4,509+5.1%

All councils in the East of England · Rankings for England · Every billing authority.

Questions about council tax in Southend-on-Sea

How much is council tax in Southend-on-Sea for a Band D home?

£2,265.17 a year in 2026/27 for a Band D dwelling occupied by two adults, or about £227 a month over the usual ten instalments (£189 over twelve). That is +£111 (+5.1%) compared with 2025/26.

How much is council tax band A in Southend-on-Sea?

Band A in Southend-on-Sea is £1,510.11 a year in 2026/27, about £151 a month over ten instalments. Band A is charged at 6/9 of the Band D figure of £2,265.

How much is council tax band B in Southend-on-Sea?

Band B in Southend-on-Sea is £1,761.80 a year in 2026/27, about £176 a month over ten instalments. Band B is charged at 7/9 of the Band D figure of £2,265.

How much is council tax band C in Southend-on-Sea?

Band C in Southend-on-Sea is £2,013.48 a year in 2026/27, about £201 a month over ten instalments. Band C is charged at 8/9 of the Band D figure of £2,265.

Who receives the council tax paid in Southend-on-Sea?

Southend-on-Sea (billing authority) £1,888, Essex Police £275, Essex PCC-Fire £93, Parish precept (average) £9 at Band D. Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority and keeps the largest share itself.

Is council tax in Southend-on-Sea high compared with the rest of England?

Southend-on-Sea ranks 259 of 296 billing authorities on Band D (1 is the most expensive), among the cheapest third. Its Band D of £2,265 is £126 below the England average of £2,392.

Sources

  1. Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG statistical release, 25 March 2026) (accessed 2026-09-12) ✓ checked
  2. Council Tax levels 2026 to 2027: Tables 1 to 9 (Table 9: area council tax for a dwelling occupied by two adults by band) (accessed 2026-09-12) ✓ checked
  3. Council Tax levels 2026 to 2027: Table 10, local authority level data (precept elements, adult social care, parishes) (accessed 2026-09-12) ✓ checked
  4. Live tables on Council Tax: Band D council tax figures 1993-94 onwards (revised 22 April 2026) (accessed 2026-09-12) ✓ checked
  5. Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 5: different categories of dwellings (band proportions 6:7:8:9:11:13:15:18) (accessed 2026-09-12) ✓ checked

Figures for 2026/27 as published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 2026-03-25 (Band D live table revised 22 April 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we calculate · Which band am I?

Council Tax Ledger shows the average area council tax for 2026/27 for a dwelling occupied by two adults with no discounts, as published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Parish precepts vary within a district, so your bill may differ. Not financial advice.