Your Council Tax 2026-2027

This page explains how your Council Tax will be used to help provide local services and it also explains how your Council Tax bill is calculated.

The Council Tax in Bedford Borough includes charges from:

• Bedford Borough Council;
• The Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire;
• Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority; and
• The Parish Council (in areas where there is a parish council).

Each charge is shown separately on the Council Tax bill.

Borough Council’s part of the Council Tax bill

The Government has established limits on the amount by which Council Tax bills may be increased without being approved through a public referendum.  This means that councils with responsibilities for adult social care, including Bedford Borough Council, cannot increase their Council Tax for 2026/2027 by 5.0% or more (including an increase of up to 2.0% dedicated to spending on adult social care) unless the increase is approved through a public referendum. 

Bedford Borough Council is increasing Council Tax by 2.99% plus 2.0% for adult social care to contribute towards these essential services; these increases are therefore within the referendum limit.  All funding raised through this additional 2.0% increase will be used for providing adult social care.

The Council set its Council Tax at a meeting of the Full Council on 25 February 2026. The increase in Council Tax for Bedford Borough Council, before adjustments for special area charges, is 4.99%.

The table, as set out above, demonstrates the change in the average Council Tax charge for the Borough Council’s part of the Council Tax bill, in respect of a Band D property. Individual increases will vary slightly from the average rate due to changes in the special area charges that are specific to different parts of the Borough.  Individual charges will be in relation to the property’s banding. 

Since 2016/2017 councils responsible for providing adult social care have been allowed an additional increase in Council Tax but must spend the money raised on providing social care. The total cumulative adult social care charge included in the overall Council Tax bill for 2026/2027 is £343.04.

Parish Council costs

The Council Tax bill may also include a Parish Precept , which is the amount requested by the local Town or Parish Council for areas in which there is a town or parish council. On average the cost of the Parish Council adds £40.15 to a bill for a Band D property. This is an increase of £1.71 on last year equating to an increase of 4.44%. 

Fire and Police costs

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire and the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority are responsible for setting their own level of Council Tax. Their Council Tax figures are then included in the overall Council Tax shown on the bill.

How your Council Tax is calculated

The average Council Tax at Band D including the Parish Precept, Police and Fire Authorities in 2026/2027 is £2,471.74 (£2,350.94 in 2025/2026).

Bedford Borough Council's Budget

The 2026/2027 budget includes additional investments of £18.319 million which cover a range of demand pressures. The 2026/2027 budget has been set against a context of reduced government funding and increasing service/cost pressures, in particularly in relation to Children’s Services, Housing and Adult Social Care. 

How Council Tax is spent on local services

Bedford Borough Council provides major services such as education, social care, highways, waste collection and disposal, housing benefits and economic development. A summary of the revenue budget approved by Bedford Borough Council is shown below:

Capital spending

In addition to the revenue budget, the Council has agreed a Capital Programme 2025/2026 and future years (this extends to a ten-year programme) on new and existing schemes. A summary of capital expenditure is set out below:

Further information

The detailed Revenue Budget and Capital Programme is included in the Council’s ‘Revenue Budget and Capital Programme.’