The lowest council tax in the Midlands

  • Our Budget proposals for 2026 / 2027 recommend a general council tax increase equivalent to £0.78 per week for the average Band B property alongside a £0.42 per week increase for the adult social care precept.

  • The increase will raise £4.7 million and every extra penny will go into social care, supporting the most vulnerable adults and children in our Borough – a service that accounts for 70p in every £1 the Council spends and one which continues to see huge increase in demand and costs over the last few years.

A graph showing the Council’s revenue spend in 2025 / 2026 with £128m being spent on social care

Headline data

Telford & Wrekin Council’s total net budget for 2025 / 2026 was £167 million, with the vast majority allocated to social care for adults and children, which accounted for £128 million and dominated overall spending.

The remaining budget was spread across a range of services, led by:

  • Neighbourhood and Enforcement Services (£32 million)
  • Education and Skills (£14 million).

Smaller allocations went to other services (£9 million):

  • Housing, Commercial and Customer Services (£7 million)
  • Prosperity and Investment (£6 million)
  • Health and Wellbeing received (£1 million).
Donut chart of Telford & Wrekin Council’s £167m 2025/26 budget: Social Care £128m, Neighbourhood £32m, Education £14m, others smaller.
  • Despite a fairer funding finance package from the Government this year, over the past decade funding to support local services fell short, leaving local authorities like us to care on our own. This year’s settlement is a significant and welcome boost, but still leaves a significant funding gap.

  • Balancing the books is proving increasingly difficult for all councils across the country, and this year we have had to make some difficult decisions.

  • Even after the proposed Council Tax increase, Telford & Wrekin Council is expected still to have one of the lowest levels of general Council Tax in both the Midlands and amongst Unitary Authorities in England.

A comparison bar chart showing the average yearly cost of Band D council tax for all Midlands authorities during 2025 / 2026

Headline data

The bar chart highlights wide variation in Band D council tax levels across the Midlands, compared with a regional average of £1,918.74.

Telford & Wrekin Council has the lowest charge at £1,613.67, around £305 below the average, while Nottingham records the highest at approximately £2,300 - about £380 above it - creating an overall range of roughly £680 between the two extremes.

Around half of authorities sit below the average, largely clustered between £1,600 and £1,800, while the remainder group around or above £1,900.

Several councils including Leicester, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Rutland and Nottingham - have Band D bills exceeding £2,000, indicating a clear split between lower- and higher-charging authorities.

Vertical bar chart comparing 2025/26 Band D council tax rates for Midlands authorities, showing Telford & Wrekin as the lowest at £1,613.67, Nottingham as the highest at around £2,300, and an average line at £1,918.74.

Download the full Budget papers

Consultation

To share your feedback on the proposals, please email yourviewsmatter@telford.gov.uk by 3 February 2026.

Support

View the council tax section to find out what council tax support is available.