Borough BookAlphaHammersmith & Fulham, 2026/27
Independent project, not run by or affiliated with Hammersmith & Fulham Council

Council tax next year: the council’s three options

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has set out three options for 2027/28 that would raise its own share of the bill by 100%, 125% or 150%. With the Mayor of London’s share, a Band D bill of £1,519.51 would become £2,554.04, £2,806.29 or £3,058.54. Nothing is decided yet. Here is what each would mean for your home, and how to have your say.

Your bill under each option

Pick your band. It is on your council tax bill, or at gov.uk/council-tax-bands.

Band D: the whole council tax bill in 2027/28 under each of the council’s options
Band DWhole bill a yearExtra a yearExtra a weekStill to find
This year£1,519.51–––
Council’s share +100%£2,554.04£1,034.53£19.89£46.1m
Council’s share +125%£2,806.29£1,286.78£24.75£20.6m
Council’s share +150%£3,058.54£1,539.03£29.60balances

The options are rises in the council’s own share of the bill, £1,009.00 of this year’s £1,519.51 at Band D. The whole bill also pays the Mayor of London, whose share the report assumes rises 5%. “Still to find” is what each option leaves of the council’s forecast gap by 2030/31, if council tax then rises 5% a year. Council Tax Support and other discounts would lower some bills; nothing is decided yet.

sourcedThe options: the council's report to Cabinet, 12 October 2026, Tables 7 to 9; other bands by the statutory ratios
Every band, at a glance
Extra a week on the whole bill in 2027/28, by band
BandCouncil's share +100%Council's share +125%Council's share +150%
Band A£13.26£16.50£19.73
Band B£15.47£19.25£23.02
Band C£17.68£22.00£26.31
Band D£19.89£24.75£29.60
Band E£24.32£30.24£36.17
Band F£28.74£35.74£42.75
Band G£33.16£41.24£49.33
Band H£39.79£49.49£59.19

Reading the headlines

Headlines say council tax could rise by up to 150%. That is the council’s own share, £1,009.00 of a Band D bill this year. The whole bill also pays the Mayor of London (£510.51 this year, which the report assumes rises 5%), so in percentage terms it rises less: at Band D,

The top option roughly doubles the whole bill. Some reports set the council’s new share (such as £2,018.00) beside today’s whole bill (£1,519.51): the two are not the same thing.

Why it is happening

The government’s funding for the council falls from £150.5m in 2025/26 to £72.4m in 2029/30, under a new way of sharing money between councils that moves it away from central London. With costs rising too, the council forecasts a gap of £74.9m next year and £159.3m by 2030/31. The government has given Hammersmith & Fulham and five other councils with low council tax the power to raise it by any amount for two years without a local referendum.

Each option leaves a different amount still to find by 2030/31: £46.1m with +100%, £20.6m with +125% and nothing (it broadly balances) with +150%. The rest would have to come from savings: try your own mix in Balance it.

Have your say

  1. 12 Oct 2026Cabinet considers the revised four-year plan, with the three council tax options.
  2. 19 Oct to 15 Nov 2026The council asks residents, businesses and others for their views: which services matter most to them, and what they expect of council tax. We will link the council's page here when it opens.
  3. Nov to Dec 2026A summary of what people said.
  4. Dec 2026Councillors scrutinise the savings and investment proposals.
  5. Dec 2026The government announces each council's funding for 2027/28.
  6. 15 Feb 2027 (proposed)Cabinet considers the draft 2027/28 budget.
  7. 1 Mar 2027 (proposed)Full Council sets the 2027/28 budget and council tax.

Make your case: council tax next year

Prefer one of the options, or none of them? Your ward councillors vote on it at Full Council. Tell them, or the councillors who lead on the budget for each side, before they decide.

  1. Who decides

    sourcedWho decides: the law and the council's and government's own papers

  2. What you can do, and by when

    • Answer the council’s consultation. It runs from 19 October to 15 November. We will link the council's page here when it opens.
    • Write to your councillors, or to those who lead on this for each side: the letter below. Leading on it: Rowan Ree (Labour), Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform; and Liam Downer-Sanderson (Conservative), Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform.
    • Ask a question at Full Council. Anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough can put one question to the Leader or a Cabinet Member, in writing, by 12 noon seven working days before the meeting. The council’s rules.
    • Start or sign a petition. 100 signatures go to the Cabinet Member responsible, 250 to a Cabinet debate and 5,000 to a Full Council debate. The council’s petitions.
    • Speak at a meeting. Up to 10 residents can speak at Cabinet or a scrutiny committee about an item on its agenda; the request form, signed by 10 electors, is due three working days before the meeting. How.
    • Ask for a fact we do not have. A Freedom of Information request must be answered within 20 working days. Ready to send, on WhatDoTheyKnow: how the three options were worked out.
    • Where it is the government’s part, write to your MP. WriteToThem finds them from your postcode.
    sourcedQuestions, petitions and deputations: the council's own rules and deadlines

Write your letter

Written in your browser. We never see it or keep it: you send it yourself.

What do you want?
Who to

Looked up in your browser with postcodes.io. We never see your postcode, and it is not put in the letter.

Figures to include

From the council’s report to Cabinet, 12 October 2026, Table 11 (page 19) and paragraph 6.4 (page 16).

Questions

Will council tax in Hammersmith & Fulham really go up by 150%?

Nothing is decided. The council's report to Cabinet on 12 October 2026 sets out three options for 2027/28 that raise the council's own share of the bill by 100%, 125% or 150%. That share is £1,009.00 of this year's £1,519.51 Band D bill; the rest goes to the Mayor of London. So the whole Band D bill would rise by about 68%, 85% or 101%, to £2,554.04, £2,806.29 or £3,058.54.

How much more would I pay?

At Band D, £19.89, £24.75 or £29.60 a week more on the whole bill. Other bands pay a fixed share of Band D, from two thirds (Band A) to twice as much (Band H); someone living alone gets 25% off. Pick your band on this page to see yours.

Why is this happening?

The government's funding for the council falls from £150.5m in 2025/26 to £72.4m in 2029/30, under a new way of sharing money between councils that moves it away from central London. With rising costs, the council forecasts a gap of £159.3m by 2030/31. The government has given Hammersmith & Fulham and five other councils with low council tax (Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, the City of London and Windsor and Maidenhead) the power to raise it by any amount for two years without a local referendum.

When will it be decided?

Full Council sets the 2027/28 budget and council tax on 1 Mar 2027 (a proposed date), after Cabinet considers the draft budget on 15 Feb 2027.

How can I have my say?

The council asks residents, businesses and others for their views from 19 Oct to 15 Nov 2026: which services matter most to them, and what they expect of council tax. You can also write to your ward councillors, or to those who lead on the budget for each side: this page helps you draft the letter in your own words and finds them by postcode. Anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough can also put a question to Full Council, or start a petition.

Is Borough Book the council?

No. Borough Book is an independent project, not run by or affiliated with any council or party. Every figure here comes from the council's own report, with its page.