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.
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,
- council’s share +100%: the whole bill becomes £2,554.04, up 68%
- council’s share +125%: the whole bill becomes £2,806.29, up 85%
- council’s share +150%: the whole bill becomes £3,058.54, up 101%
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
Your ward councillors vote on the budget at Full Council. Find them, and how to contact them, by postcode:
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 at any time; find them by postcode on this page.
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.