Portsmouth City Council

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How Council Tax is calculated

Council tax was introduced in April 1993. The amount of council tax payable on a property depends on which council tax band it is in and also the eligibility to discounts, exemptions and local council tax support.

The rules in the Council Tax referendum are used as a reference to calculate the local Council Tax. According to these rules, Portsmouth City Council is an Adult Social Care Authority, which means it’s able to charge extra on Council Tax.

  • For 2023/24 Portsmouth City Council has been able to increase council tax by up to 4.99% (2% for spending on adult social care, and 2.99% for other spending) without the need for a local referendum.
  • At the Full Council meeting of 28th February 2023, Portsmouth City Council agreed a 4.99% increase, made up of a 2.99% increase of general services, and a 2% increase for adult social care.

How Council Tax is calculated

The total amount of council tax you pay is made up of charges for services from three organisations: Portsmouth City Council, the Police & Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & Isle of Wight, and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service. The money going to the council is split into two areas:

  • Money specifically to fund adult social care.
  • Money for general services that can be used for anything the council does

What's included in your Council Tax bill?

You may have different charges based on your property’s band, but as an example, if you live in a band D property for 2023/24 the charges shown on your council tax bill are:

  • Portsmouth City Council (General Services): £1,431.54
  • Adult Social Care: £217.33
  • Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue: £80.43
  • Police & Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight: £251.46
  •  The total charge for a band D property in 2023/24 is £1,980.76

Council Tax increase - explained

The information on your bill may look complicated. This is because we have to present it according to government rules. Here is an explanation to help you understand this year’s council tax charges based on a Band D property:

  • Last year Portsmouth’s charge for general services and adult social care was a total of £1,570.46 for a band D property
  • This year, the total increase for council tax paid to the council is 4.99%. This is made of 2.99% for general services, and 2.00% for adult social care. General services will show as 3.0% on your council tax bill as percentages are shown to one decimal point.
  • The general services charge has gone up by £47.01
  • The adult social care charge has gone up by £31.40

You can see details of all the increases on the Council Tax Bands page

External links

Police & Crime Commissioner

Hampshire Fire & Rescue