Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113737 on Council Tax: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, what is the level of core spending power in cash terms in each of the six councils for the next two financial years without the £150 increase in Band D council tax.

Council tax levels are decided by councils. The government does not intend to set council tax referendum principles for six local authorities (Westminster, Windsor and Maidenhead, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Wandsworth) in financial years 2027-28 and 2028-29. For these authorities, the estimate made by the government assumes a 3% core principle, a 2% adult social care precept and a £150 increase in Band D council tax.

Core Spending Power allocations for individual local authorities through the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 and 2028-29 can be found here. The government does not publish alternative council tax scenarios for Core Spending Power.

The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in CSP for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% cash-terms increase compared to 2025–26.