Council tax and finance

Council Tax and Finance

Read information about the Council Tax for 2008/09

The facility to pay your Council Tax online by debit card is now available.

Please read our payments page for more information about Direct Debit and other ways to pay your Council Tax.

Council Tax 2008-09

This year’s Band D council tax level will be £687.62. The entire increase in your Council Tax bill is due to the precept you pay to the Mayor of London, which has risen by  2% this year.

There is no increase in your Council Tax bill from the Westminster City Council portion of the Council Tax, as we have decided to freeze our Council Tax levels at last year's rates. Over recent years we have consistently set one of the lowest Council Tax levels in the UK, achieved by minimising bureaucracy and maximising efficiency savings, while refusing to compromise on the high levels of service provision the council provides.

In last year’s council tax guide for residents, we were delighted to report that Westminster City Council had again been placed in the top four star category of the Audit Commission's league table of local authorities for the fifth year in succession. I am even more delighted to say that we’ve now scored top marks six years in a row – achieving the highest ‘4 Star – improving strongly’ rating for our overall performance in 2007, as judged by the Audit Commission’s new, tougher performance test. The council has also been ranked in the top five local authorities in the country in terms of its financial management and achievement of value for money in the Audit Commission’s 2007 use of resources assessment. It also continues to have some of the highest resident satisfaction ratings in the country.

However, we are certainly not being complacent. Our aim remains to deliver orderly, safe and well managed streets and an attractive environment as well as greater opportunities for residents; with a focus on improving schools, decent homes, excellent library and leisure facilities and top quality social services.

We are also continuing to implement our new vision for the council over the next five years, through our ‘One City’ programme – to deliver excellent services and strong communities, through the themes of order, opportunity, enterprise and renewal.

We believe that the Westminster City Council element of your council tax represents excellent value for money, and we want to do even more this year to improve the services that impact on your daily life. We will continue on our drive to achieve excellence in absolute terms, not only in comparison to other local authorities. We will also continue to strive for efficiency savings, while delivering services faster and of the highest quality.

Sir Simon Milton, Leader of the Council
Nick Bell, Director of Finance and Resources