Bedford · unitary council · East of England · 2026-27
How much is council tax in Bedford?
Area average, including parish precepts. In 6 published bills we checked, figures were within £34; yours also depends on your parish and discounts. How the figures work
- Bedford council£2,011.28
- Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner£297.59
- Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority£122.72
- Parish and town councils (average)£40.15
Council tax bands in Bedford, 2026-27
Area averages including parish precepts. Every band pays a fixed share of Band D.
| Band | Per year | Per month (10 payments) | Ratio to D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | £1,647.83 | £164.78 | 6/9 |
| Band B | £1,922.46 | £192.25 | 7/9 |
| Band C most common here | £2,197.10 | £219.71 | 8/9 |
| Band D | £2,471.74 | £247.17 | 9/9 |
| Band E | £3,021.02 | £302.10 | 11/9 |
| Band F | £3,570.29 | £357.03 | 13/9 |
| Band G | £4,119.57 | £411.96 | 15/9 |
| Band H | £4,943.48 | £494.35 | 18/9 |
Not sure of your band?
We cannot look up individual homes. The Valuation Office Agency checker on GOV.UK gives the band for any address in Bedford.
Council tax by band in Bedford, 2026-27
Average for the council area, including parish precepts; the tick is the England average for the band
- this council, each band
- Band D, the band every charge is set from
- England average for the band
View as table
| Band | Per year | 10 payments of | 12 payments of | England average | Ratio to D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | £1,647.83 | £164.78 | £137.32 | £1,594.35 | 6/9 |
| Band B | £1,922.46 | £192.25 | £160.21 | £1,860.07 | 7/9 |
| Band C | £2,197.10 | £219.71 | £183.09 | £2,125.80 | 8/9 |
| Band D | £2,471.74 | £247.17 | £205.98 | £2,391.52 | 9/9 |
| Band E | £3,021.02 | £302.10 | £251.75 | £2,922.97 | 11/9 |
| Band F | £3,570.29 | £357.03 | £297.52 | £3,454.42 | 13/9 |
| Band G | £4,119.57 | £411.96 | £343.30 | £3,985.87 | 15/9 |
| Band H | £4,943.48 | £494.35 | £411.96 | £4,783.04 | 18/9 |
Bedford in 2026-27
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax across Bedford is £2,471.74, up 5.1% (£120.80) on 2025-26. Of that, Bedford council's own charge is £2,011.28, of which £38.31 is this year's adult social care increase. The rest goes to Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority, and on average £40.15 to parish and town councils.
The most common band here is Band C (25% of homes), which costs £2,197.10 a year at the area average.
The average bill actually charged per home, after discounts and exemptions, is £2,010.80 (MHCLG, 2026-27).
Where a Band D bill in Bedford goes
£2,471.74 a year at Band D, by the body that sets each part
- Bedford council£2,011.2881%
- Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner£297.5912%
- Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority£122.725%
- Parish and town councils (average)£40.152%
View as table
| Goes to | Band D | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford council | £2,011.28 | 81.4% |
| Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner | £297.59 | 12.0% |
| Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority | £122.72 | 5.0% |
| Parish and town councils (average) | £40.15 | 1.6% |
| Total | £2,471.74 | 100% |
Band D in Bedford since 1993
Average area Band D each year, including parish precepts; the line is the England average
- this council, average Band D
- England average
View as table
| Year | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | £2,471.74 | £2,391.52 |
| 2025-26 | £2,350.94 | £2,280.21 |
| 2024-25 | £2,237.26 | £2,170.99 |
| 2023-24 | £2,132.39 | £2,065.05 |
| 2022-23 | £2,062.73 | £1,965.71 |
| 2021-22 | £1,985.33 | £1,898.48 |
| 2020-21 | £1,908.16 | £1,817.67 |
| 2019-20 | £1,837.04 | £1,749.88 |
| 2018-19 | £1,772.80 | £1,671.46 |
| 2017-18 | £1,704.11 | £1,590.55 |
| 2016-17 | £1,634.44 | £1,529.56 |
| 2015-16 | £1,577.11 | £1,483.58 |
| 2014-15 | £1,575.47 | £1,467.98 |
| 2013-14 | £1,570.56 | £1,455.60 |
| 2012-13 | £1,563.59 | £1,444.13 |
| 2011-12 | £1,555.92 | £1,439.33 |
| 2010-11 | £1,563.71 | £1,439.22 |
| 2009-10 | £1,527.47 | £1,413.84 |
| 2008-09 | £1,506.58 | £1,373.08 |
| 2007-08 | £1,443.39 | £1,321.32 |
| 2006-07 | £1,383.42 | £1,267.91 |
| 2005-06 | £1,319.23 | £1,213.81 |
| 2004-05 | £1,262.68 | £1,166.56 |
| 2003-04 | £1,169.69 | £1,101.75 |
| 2002-03 | £1,049.56 | £975.56 |
| 2001-02 | £959.98 | £901.33 |
| 2000-01 | £909.07 | £847.00 |
| 1999-00 | £864.22 | £798.00 |
| 1998-99 | £797.07 | £747.00 |
| 1997-98 | £761.79 | £688.00 |
| 1996-97 | £633.91 | £646.00 |
| 1995-96 | £597.38 | £609.00 |
| 1994-95 | £533.25 | £580.11 |
| 1993-94 | £504.00 | £567.95 |
Homes in each band in Bedford
Share of the 81,610 homes on the valuation list at 31 March 2026; the tick is England
- share of homes
- most common band (C)
View as table
| Band | Homes | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | 10,820 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Band B | 19,160 | 23.5% | 19.5% |
| Band C | 20,360 | 24.9% | 22.0% |
| Band D | 12,690 | 15.5% | 15.7% |
| Band E | 9,090 | 11.1% | 9.9% |
| Band F | 5,920 | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Band G | 3,320 | 4.1% | 3.5% |
| Band H | 250 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
Parish and town councils in Bedford
47 of the 48 parishes and charter trustees here set a precept for 2026-27. Band D in an area with no parish precept is about £2,408.35. The estimated bills add each parish part to the council's average charge; where a council charges special expenses or levies in part of its area the real bill differs, in the bills we checked by up to £34.
Bedford also charges special expenses in part of its area (£1,512,262 in all, £23.24 per Band D home on average across the council). The parish and no-parish figures here leave them out, because the statistics do not say which areas pay them, so where they apply the bill is higher. The council's own bill shows them.
| Parish | Parish part | Change in parish part | Est. Band D bill | Band D homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biddenham | £36.44 | +£3.14 | £2,444.79 | 2,063 |
| Bletsoe | £120.86 | +£2.88 | £2,529.21 | 126 |
| Bolnhurst and Keysoe | £50.72 | +£2.25 | £2,459.07 | 374 |
| Brickhill | £35.32 | no change | £2,443.67 | 3,544 |
| Bromham | £83.50 | +£3.60 | £2,491.85 | 2,235 |
| Cardington | £93.09 | +£26.21 | £2,501.44 | 144 |
| Carlton and Chellington | £58.30 | +£1.91 | £2,466.65 | 418 |
| Clapham | £56.10 | +£4.94 | £2,464.45 | 1,539 |
| Colmworth | £90.75 | +£2.95 | £2,499.10 | 200 |
| Cople | £85.15 | +£5.30 | £2,493.50 | 331 |
| Cotton End | £91.00 | no change | £2,499.35 | 280 |
| Dean and Shelton | £34.47 | +£0.63 | £2,442.82 | 216 |
| Elstow | £36.13 | +£0.59 | £2,444.48 | 991 |
| Felmersham and Radwell | £67.76 | +£10.84 | £2,476.11 | 369 |
| Great Barford | £116.72 | +£3.54 | £2,525.07 | 942 |
| Great Denham | £24.71 | +£1.18 | £2,433.06 | 1,829 |
| Harrold | £145.12 | +£4.29 | £2,553.47 | 703 |
| Kempston Rural | £39.92 | −£2.07 | £2,448.27 | 963 |
| Kempston Town | £53.34 | −£3.14 | £2,461.69 | 6,197 |
| Knotting and Souldrop | £54.12 | +£2.56 | £2,462.47 | 125 |
| Little Barford no precept | none | — | £2,408.35 | 21 |
| Little Staughton | £33.90 | +£1.31 | £2,442.25 | 243 |
| Melchbourne and Yelden | £43.80 | +£0.59 | £2,452.15 | 206 |
| Milton Ernest | £54.44 | +£2.09 | £2,462.79 | 331 |
| Oakley | £64.42 | +£3.04 | £2,472.77 | 996 |
| Odell | £97.11 | +£11.95 | £2,505.46 | 140 |
| Pavenham | £52.37 | +£6.83 | £2,460.72 | 356 |
| Pertenhall and Swineshead | £48.82 | +£2.25 | £2,457.17 | 170 |
| Podington | £75.42 | −£0.41 | £2,483.77 | 203 |
| Ravensden | £33.33 | +£5.55 | £2,441.68 | 435 |
| Renhold | £21.38 | +£0.80 | £2,429.73 | 1,330 |
| Riseley | £72.96 | +£9.22 | £2,481.31 | 548 |
| Roxton | £116.33 | +£11.12 | £2,524.68 | 235 |
| Sharnbrook | £78.41 | +£3.66 | £2,486.76 | 999 |
| Shortstown | £74.44 | +£2.81 | £2,482.79 | 1,980 |
| Stagsden | £52.06 | +£2.96 | £2,460.41 | 211 |
| Staploe | £109.82 | +£3.63 | £2,518.17 | 150 |
| Stevington | £83.14 | +£10.62 | £2,491.49 | 282 |
| Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick | £157.53 | +£18.79 | £2,565.88 | 947 |
| Thurleigh | £38.28 | −£0.28 | £2,446.63 | 305 |
| Turvey | £58.93 | no change | £2,467.28 | 639 |
| Wilden | £49.38 | −£0.43 | £2,457.73 | 207 |
| Willington | £47.02 | no change | £2,455.37 | 411 |
| Wilshamstead | £58.58 | +£2.52 | £2,466.93 | 999 |
| Wixams Town | £43.32 | +£2.01 | £2,451.67 | 2,333 |
| Wootton | £110.86 | +£5.29 | £2,519.21 | 2,797 |
| Wyboston Chawston and Colesden | £61.11 | +£2.57 | £2,469.46 | 329 |
| Wymington | £119.34 | +£32.07 | £2,527.69 | 290 |
Band D homes is the parish tax base: homes counted as Band D equivalents after discounts and exemptions.
Questions
- What is Band D council tax in Bedford?
- £2,471.74 for 2026-27, the average for the area including parish precepts. In an area with no parish precept it is about £2,408.35.
- How much is Band A council tax in Bedford?
- £1,647.83 a year, or £164.78 a month over 10 payments.
- How much did council tax go up in Bedford?
- Band D is up 5.1% (£120.80) on 2025-26. The council's own part changed by +5.0%.
- Is Bedford cheaper than average?
- Bedford ranks 179 of 296 councils by Band D, where 1 is the lowest. The England average is £2,391.52.
Nearby councils
Data: MHCLG, VOA, ONS, 2026-27 releases, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources and method