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Living in London is expensive, especially with the cost-of-living crisis and sky-high rents. And even worse – council tax across the country is set to rise by record amounts in April, with the majority of councils opting to increase their bills by the maximum permitted 4.99 percent. Gulp.
So when you’re working out where you want to live in the city, it’s important to note that different boroughs pay different amounts in council tax. Some of them, like Haringey or Lewisham, are pretty steep, and others are cheaper. But which borough is officially the cheapest?
If you want to pay the lowest council tax in London, you need to live in Wandsworth. While Westminster used to hold the title of the cheapest council tax, Wandsworth Borough Council has said it will freeze its council tax rate, making it likely to the cheapest in the whole country.
In the next tax year Wandsworth is set to charge £961 for the year, while Westminster will charge £973. In Wandsworth, you’ll be paying roughly £80 per month.
In other areas residents aren’t so lucky. Boroughs including Bexley, Croydon, Harrow, Havering, Kingston, Richmond, Sutton and Waltham Forest all already charge more than £2,000 a year in council tax.
Camden, Brent, Lewisham and Haringey could also be increased to more than £2,000 per year if the councils choose to increase the bills by the maximum 4.99 percent.
London’s most expensive borough is Kingston, which is set to charge £2,374 from April, an annual increase of £127.
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The cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone, even Salt Bae. The butcher-turned-internet-meme has had to turn off the heating in his restaurant to save money. Meanwhile, this borough has the UK’s worst recycling rate.
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