London Boroughs Where You’re Most Likely to Get Council Tax Reduced

Many London households have successfully reduced their council tax bills. However, appealing your council tax band can be a bit of a gamble.

London: Over a thousand households in London managed to lower their council tax bills. But, it’s not all smooth sailing. If you think your home is in the wrong council tax band, you can appeal.

You’ll need to reach out to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). They’ll look into it and let you know what happens. Just remember, your band could go up or down, so think carefully before appealing.

From April 2023 to March 2024, there were 6,190 appeals in Greater London. Surprisingly, 69% of those appeals didn’t change the council tax band. But about one in six, or 1,050 cases, did see a reduction.

Across England and Wales, nearly 44,000 households appealed last year. Out of those, about 10,530 were successful in getting their bands lowered. Unfortunately, not everyone had good news. Thirty households actually saw their bands increase.

While the official figures don’t specify locations, around 10 cases were in the South East and another 10 in the South West. Some areas had better luck with appeals than others.

In Rossendale and Rushmoor, over two-thirds of appeals led to a band decrease. That’s the highest success rate in England and Wales.

Wrexham had a 57% success rate, while seven areas, including Halton and Stockport, saw 50% of appeals result in reductions.

On the flip side, Hounslow had only 5% of appeals leading to a decrease. Leicester was at 6%, and Barnet, Hillingdon, and Windsor and Maidenhead were at 7%.

Here’s a quick look at the London boroughs where the most households got their council tax reduced: