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Where Your Council Tax Goes

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We have found that when our customers talk to us about the Council Tax, the same or similar questions often reoccur. Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions with our answers. If you have any other questions about the tax or there are any other issues you would like to discuss with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

These frequently asked questions are divided into two sections. The section below explains how the charge is determined and what we are spending your money on in 2026/27. The main Council Tax page answers questions about how to pay, claim discounts, query the charge or your banding and other information, to access the main Council Tax page.

What am I paying for services from Rushcliffe?

From April Rushcliffe Borough Council’s element of the council tax is as follows:

Rushcliffe part of council tax bill per property band
Property in Band Annual Council Tax Annual Increase Increase per Week
A £107.85 £0.00 £0.00
B £125.82 £0.00 £0.00
C £143.80 £0.00 £0.00
D £161.77 £0.00 £0.00
E £197.72 £0.00 £0.00
F £233.67 £0.00 £0.00
G £269.62 £0.00 £0.00
H £323.54 £0.00 £0.00

 

What do I get for my money? Are Rushcliffe Borough Council's services good value?

Despite reductions in funding following the Fair funding review and Business Rates Reset, the Council continues to be committed to Rushcliffe’s Corporate Strategy balancing the four key priorities; Quality of Life, Efficient Services, Environment and Sustainable Growth. The Council strives to support residents amidst cost of living challenges and works hard to identifying savings via its Transformation and Efficiency Plan with over £6.6m delivered since inception and a further £1.998m planned savings target over the next five years. As a result of these savings and careful financial stewardship, the Council is able to freeze its share of Council Tax this year at a time when residents need the support most.

The Council continues to provide quality services, meeting challenging housing targets, supporting the vulnerable and improving services. The Council has committed to investing in the environment, supporting targets for carbon reduction through various energy efficient projects such as land for carbon offsetting, decarbonisation of council facilities and enhancements to investment properties. The Capital Programme totals £24m over the next 5 years to continue to make Rushcliffe a great place to live, work and play. Alongside ongoing asset replacement programmes, there will be delivery of key projects including open space and play area enhancements, Radcliffe on Trent Masterplan and West Bridgford Town Centre Regeneration and grants to improve football facilities. The Council will continue to support residents thorough the delivery of Disabled Facilities Grants and other funded initiatives such as Warm Homes grants.  

For more details, see the Council Tax Charges - Enquiries leaflet

Why the Council is Freezing Council Tax for 2026/27

We know many households are still feeling the effects of rising living costs. Food, energy, rent and other essentials have all become more expensive, and even small increases can add pressure to family budgets. That’s why the Council is proposing not to increase the Rushcliffe part of Council Tax for 2026/27.

What does this mean for you?

Your Council Tax bill will not go up next year for the Rushcliffe Borough Council portion. This is a saving of £4.58 on a band D property when compared to the maximum allowable increase.

Why we can afford to do this?

Even though freezing Council Tax means we receive less income, our financial planning shows we can still:

•     Balance the budget over the next five years

•     Protect the services you rely on, such as waste collection, parks, planning and community support

•     Maintain healthy reserves so we can respond to unexpected costs

The amount of money we give up next year by freezing the tax is about £222,000, which grows to around £1.2 million over five years. We have looked carefully at our finances, and we can manage this without reducing services.

By choosing not to increase Council Tax this year, we hope to give residents some breathing room at a time when many are facing tough choices about household spending. This is a single year measure to support residents now. We anticipate that this will be a one-year freeze however Council Tax increases in future years will be considered as part of the budget setting process.

Rushcliffe Borough Council's share of your bill accounts for just over 6% of the total. You also pay for services provided by Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and, where applicable, your local Parish Council. We cannot comment on these services.

However, to find out more about these services please use the links below:

Maximum increases

On 11 February 2026 the House of Commons approved the Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) (England) Report 2026/27.

For 2026/27, there is a core council tax referendum principle of 3%. This means that local authorities will be able to increase their relevant basic amount of council tax (essentially their average Band D council tax including special expenses and levies but excluding local precepts) by up to 3% without holding a referendum.

 The report also sets out a range of flexibilities for different categories of authority for 2026/27. These are as follows:

•     Councils with responsibility for adult social care can increase their council tax by an additional 2% Adult Social Care Precept. This means that a referendum will be required if the authority sets an increase of 5% or more than 5% (comprising 2% for the Adult Social Care Precept, and 3% for other expenditure).

•     Shire District Councils – a referendum will be required if the authority sets an increase of 3% or more than 3%, or more than £5, above its 2025/26 level, whichever is greater.

•      Police and Crime Commissioners – a referendum will be required if the authority sets an increase of more than £15 above its 2025/26 level. However, in the case of Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Durham, Gloucestershire, Humberside and Northumbria PCCs, a referendum will be required if these authorities set an increase of more than £18.50 above their 2025/26 level.

•      Fire and Rescue Authorities (except for Northamptonshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority) – a referendum will be required if the authority sets an increase of more than £5 above its 2025/26 level.

Breakdown of council tax bills by property band
Property in Band Nottinghamshire County Council Combined Fire Authority Police Borough plus Parish* Total
A £1,313.42 £68.14 £207.40 £173.22 £1,762.18
B £1,532.32 £79.50 £241.97 £202.09 £2,055.88
C £1,751.23 £90.85 £276.53 £230.97 £2,349.58
D £1,970.13 £102.21 £311.10 £259.83 £2,643.27
E £2,407.94 £124.92 £380.23 £317.57 £3,230.66
F £2,845.74 £147.64 £449.37 £375.31 £3,818.06
G £3,283.55 £170.35 £518.50 £433.06 £4,405.46
H £3,940.26 £204.42 £622.20 £519.66 £5,286.54

 * This figure represents the average borough / parish / special expense charge.

What are the Special Expenses included in my bill? (applicable only to West Bridgford, Ruddington and Keyworth) 

Where there is no parish council the equivalent recreation and community services provided have to be paid for by Rushcliffe Borough Council. To cover these costs the residents of West Bridgford pay Special Expenses. These cover certain parks and playing fields, community centres, litter bins, benches and seats and children's play areas.

The Special Expenses for Ruddington and Keyworth relate to funding arrangements for cemeteries.

 

Council tax leaflets

Precept leaflets are available for the following Parish/Town Councils:

Accessible parish leaflets:

Bingham Town Council leaflet 2026-27 or Bingham Town Council Leaflet 2026-27

Cotgrave Town Council leaflet 2026-27 or Cotgrave Town Council Leaflet 2026-27

East Leake Parish Council leaflet 2026-27 or East Leake Parish Council Leaflet 2026-27

Keyworth Parish Council leaflet 2026-27 or Keyworth Parish Council Leaflet 2026-27

Radcliffe on Trent Parish Council leaflet 2026-27 or Radcliffe On Trent Parish Council Leaflet 2026-27

Ruddington Parish Council leaflet 2026-27 or Ruddington Parish Council Leaflet 2026-27

 

 

Do it online

If you wish to tell us about changes in your council tax address you can use this form. You can also register your account to view some of the council services online. To register for council tax complete the online form.

Related documents

 

Council Tax