Want to pay less tax? Move to Kensington, Chelsea or Westminster
The average house price of a Westminster property is £1,000,559.73, yet the average council tax bill is £945.
Compare that to County Durham, where the average house price is £112,722.16, but residents pay an average council tax bill of £2,528 per year.
What is happening here?
Residents in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, two of the country’s richest areas, pay among the top five lowest bills across the UK, according to new research by money transfer firm Xendpay.
Based on data from the Office for National Statistics, using house price figures and council tax rates, researchers compared just over 300 councils across England.
And the outcome is may be surprising: while an average three-bedroom property in Kensington and Chelsea costs around £1.2m, residents enjoy some of the lowest council tax bills, an average of just over £1,500.
Compare that to County Durham, which has the third lowest average house price in England, at about £112,000. Local residents, however, are expected to cough up £2,500 in council tax each year.
Back in London, Westminster has an average council tax fee of £945, with homebuyers paying on average £1m for a property, the second highest in the UK.
Not in Hartlepool though, where locals transfer about £2,528 each year, while their average house prices hang around the £115,000 mark.
Wandsworth and Rutland
Wandsworth residents also get a fairly good deal, with an average council tax bill of £966, while properties change hands for around £617,000.
Residents of Rutland come to different numbers, their council tax bill has climbed over the years to about £2,568, among the highest in England.
Its lowest rate – Band A – is £1,417, £147 less than Westminster’s highest possible rate – Band H – which is £1,564.
Out of the 25 areas with the lowest average council tax, 20 are in London.
In the capital, the average London house price is just under £500,000, nearly double that from England, which stands at roughly £268,000.
“Council tax can vary widely between the lowest and the highest band just in one area, and that applies to the country as a whole,” according to a spokesman for Xendandpay.
“One thing is certain – the debate about the best way to set the rates will continue,” he added.