RESIDENTS in Somerset will be paying more council tax than the national average, government figures show.
On March 4, Somerset Council announced its annual budget at a meeting in Bridgwater, with councillors voting to increase its share of council tax bills by 4.99 per cent - the maximum allowed without triggering a local referendum.
That sets Somerset Council’s precept at £1,950.30 for 2026-27.
Once parish and fire and police service precepts are added, the average Band D bill in Somerset will rise by £121.97 to £2,560.59 a year, about £2.34 extra a week
READ MORE: How much your council tax bill will go up in Somerset
READ MORE: Somerset Council to be given £30million after request
Government data published on March 25 shows Somerset’s £2,560.59 total is above England’s average Band D bill of £2,392 for 2026-27, up £111, or 4.9 per cent, compared to 2025-26.
That average includes adult social care and parish precepts.
In relation to other unitary authorities, Somerset Council's average total council tax for a Band D property in 2026/27 ranks higher than 48/62 other councils.
This includes nearby Bath and North East Somerset Council, which has set an average total council tax for Band D property in 2026/27 at £2,383.42 - an increase of £117.62 from the 2025-26 period.
It is also higher than the North Somerset Council tax increase, which will see Band D residents pay an average of £2,491.22 for the year from April.
Council tax is based on 1991 property values, with homes put into one of eight bands.
Band A is the lowest band (covering one-bedroom flats and similar properties) and Band H is currently the highest (such as big country houses) - though the largest properties in the UK will be hit by a new 'mansion tax' from April 2028.
Band D is used as the standard comparison, but many Somerset households will pay less because the county has relatively few Band D homes.
Somerset Council’s £1,950.30 tax precept is still below the unitary council average and lower than Dorset, Wiltshire and Cornwall in the South West.
Somerset council leader Bill Revans explained the rise in a recent Somerset County Gazette column.
In it, a part reads: "Experts agree: this council has effectively tackled the challenges of the financial emergency.
"We have made difficult decisions, prioritising care for the most vulnerable and essential services, collaborating with our business community, city, town, and parish councils, the health service, police, other public sector organizations, and the Voluntary sector – and we will continue these partnerships.
"We have cut our projected funding gap from £101m in March 2025 to £25m in February 2026.
"That is a huge achievement.
"Additionally, we aim to achieve further savings by transforming service delivery, aiming for better outcomes at reduced costs.
"The Inspiring Innovation Transformation Programme will see £45m invested by 2031, expecting a 3:1 savings-to-investment ratio and savings of around £135m.
"Furthermore, up to £5m will be allocated over the next three years to improve Somerset’s roads, pavements, and cycleways, while an extra £2m will be added to the Exceptional Hardship Fund to support low-income households.
"The council will also continue increasing budgets to address rising demands and costs for adult and children’s services.
"Experts agree: we are on the right track."
Somerset Council’s March 4 budget relied again on Exceptional Financial Support from central government, using a capitalisation direction to help close a £25m funding gap for 2026/27.
Share