A SMALL village has the most expensive council tax bills in Essex, with residents paying as much as £400 more a year than the cheapest place in the county reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Little Burstead, between Billericay and Basildon, has the highest council tax bill in Essex, with residents in a Band D home paying £2,405 a year. That’s £400 more than the cheapest place in Essex, the village of Lindsell in Uttlesford, which has a yearly bill of £2,197 for the same Band D home.
Council tax is made up of a number of different ‘precepts’ taken by different authorities in Essex, such as the police, fire service and local councils. Great Burstead’s council tax bill for an average Band D home is made up of:
£1,641.96 to Essex County Council
£304.56 to Basildon Borough Council
£91.44 to Little Burstead Parish Council
£275.31 to Essex Police
£92.52 to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
The next most expensive area in Essex is Ramsden Bellhouse, near Billericay, where a Band D household will pay 2,395.89. The third highest area is Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet, where a Band D household will pay 2,361.96.
The differences in council tax bills across the county mostly depend on the local authority and parish council precepts. For example, Great Dunmow Town Council charges the highest precept for parish council services in Essex – set at £226.67 for a band D household, some £135 more than in Great Burstead.
When asked about the high cost of its parish precept, Dumnow Town Council said its portion of the council tax bill had undergone several rounds of scrutiny before being passed unanimously by councillors in January.
The town council said in a statement: “The approved budget represents a 4.52% increase on the 2025/2026 precept. For a Band D property, this equates to an annual increase of £9.80, less than 3 pence per day. This modest rise supports the continued delivery of valued community services while maintaining the council’s commitment to prudent financial management. This multi‐committee, line‐by‐line approach reflects the council’s commitment to rigorous financial oversight, transparent decision‐making, and the responsible management of public funds.”
Almost all residents in Essex are also paying as much as £300 more a year in council tax compared to bills in 2022 after continued precept increases across the county in recent years. In 2022, people in Little Burstead paid a total of £2,041.86.
The increase in council tax has been picked up by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which says an average of £111 will be added to council tax bills in England this coming financial year, the largest nominal increase since 2003-04, when it rose by £126. This was also the second-largest nominal rise in council tax history.
Darwin Friend, research director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Local government is continuing to pile the pressure onto already stretched household budgets, with the largest increase in bills in two decades.
“There is no doubt that central government is partly responsible given its refusal to tackle the issues of social care and SEND, but local authorities continue to have serious problems with productivity, efficiency and waste.
“All levels of government from Whitehall to town halls need to start cutting their own spending, rather than demanding taxpayers cut theirs.”
Little Burstead Oarish Council were contacted for comment.
