Where band A homes are concentrated
Band A, the lowest council tax band, is concentrated in the North of England and the Midlands. In 34 of England's 296 councils, more than half of all homes are in band A; Kingston upon Hull leads with 65.6%, followed by South Tyneside (62.6%) and Nottingham (62.4%).
Across England as a whole, 6,123,220 homes are in band A, 23.6% of the list. In the North East the share is 51.5%; in London it is 3.7%.
Share of each council's homes in band A, at 31 March 2026.
The fifteen highest shares
| Council | Region | Band A homes | Share | Middle home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and the Humber | 82,580 | 65.6% | Band A |
| South Tyneside | North East | 45,840 | 62.6% | Band A |
| Nottingham | East Midlands | 92,640 | 62.4% | Band A |
| Lincoln | East Midlands | 28,980 | 60.6% | Band A |
| Pendle | North West | 25,210 | 60.2% | Band A |
| Burnley | North West | 25,810 | 59.6% | Band A |
| Leicester | East Midlands | 86,800 | 59.6% | Band A |
| Sunderland | North East | 80,440 | 59.4% | Band A |
| Liverpool | North West | 144,540 | 59.3% | Band A |
| Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 70,860 | 58.8% | Band A |
| Gateshead | North East | 56,080 | 58.5% | Band A |
| Sheffield | Yorkshire and the Humber | 153,020 | 58.0% | Band A |
| Hyndburn | North West | 22,030 | 57.8% | Band A |
| Bolsover | East Midlands | 22,490 | 57.2% | Band A |
| Doncaster | Yorkshire and the Humber | 83,010 | 56.9% | Band A |
The 34 councils above 50% sit in a small number of regions: 12 in the North West, 8 in the East Midlands, 6 in the North East, 6 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 2 in the West Midlands. There are none in London, the East of England, the South East or the South West. Because band A holds more than half of the homes in each of them, the middle home is in band A too.
Counting homes rather than shares
Share and count rank councils differently. The largest number of band A homes is in Birmingham, with 165,250, although its share (35.2%) is well below the top of the table. A large council with a middling share can hold more band A homes than a small council where most homes are in band A.
| Council | Band A homes | Share of its homes |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 165,250 | 35.2% |
| Sheffield | 153,020 | 58.0% |
| Liverpool | 144,540 | 59.3% |
| County Durham | 144,200 | 56.0% |
| Leeds | 144,040 | 37.8% |
| Manchester | 138,930 | 53.9% |
| Bradford | 92,940 | 41.3% |
| Nottingham | 92,640 | 62.4% |
What kind of homes are in band A
Nationally, band A is made mostly of terraced houses and flats. Of England's band A homes, 2,220,090 are terraced houses, 2,355,560 are flats or maisonettes and 978,100 are semi-detached houses. Caravans and mobile homes almost always sit in band A too: 96.3% of the 120,760 on the English list are in it.
Detached houses are rarely in band A. Only 0.4% of English detached houses are, against 33.5% of terraced houses and 37.2% of flats.
Where band A is rare
At the other end, 25 councils have less than 2% of their homes in band A; 24 of them are in London, the South East or the East of England. The lowest shares are in Epsom and Ewell, Richmond upon Thames, Elmbridge, Woking, Harrow. The City of London has fewer than five band A homes on its list.
A band A home in Hull and one in Surrey were both valued under £40,000 at April 1991 prices, but the band says nothing about what either is worth today. To see a council's full ladder, open its page from the list of councils, or set two councils side by side in the comparison tool.
Region by region
The table gives each region's band A count and share, with the council that has the highest share within it. Even in London, where only 3.7% of homes are in band A, the share reaches 8.7% in Southwark.
| Region | Band A homes | Share | Highest council | Its share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 668,130 | 51.5% | South Tyneside | 62.6% |
| North West | 1,392,420 | 39.9% | Pendle | 60.2% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,073,570 | 41.9% | Kingston upon Hull | 65.6% |
| East Midlands | 807,620 | 35.8% | Nottingham | 62.4% |
| West Midlands | 788,560 | 29.7% | Stoke-on-Trent | 58.8% |
| East of England | 405,150 | 14.0% | Great Yarmouth | 41.5% |
| London | 143,980 | 3.7% | Southwark | 8.7% |
| South East | 368,540 | 8.8% | Hastings | 33.4% |
| South West | 475,240 | 17.5% | Plymouth | 39.0% |
Fewer band A homes among the newest
Band A takes a smaller slice of recent building. Of the English homes built from 2016 to 2026, 13.5% are in band A, against 24.5% of homes built earlier. The pattern holds in the regions where band A is strongest: in the North East the middle home built since 2016 is in band C, while the middle older home is in band A. As new homes are added, the band A share of each council's list drifts slowly downwards.
A closer look at the top
In Kingston upon Hull, 82,580 homes are in band A. The council's homes are mostly terraced houses (52.4%) and semi-detached houses (18.6%), and its typical terraced house is in band A. Even its typical semi-detached house is in band B, one band lower than the typical English semi (band C).
Band A in Wales
Wales has its own band A, valued on 2003 prices, and it is less common there: 14.5% of Welsh homes, 216,500 in all. The highest Welsh share is in Blaenau Gwent, at 57.7%. Because the Welsh and English band A cover different value ranges on different dates, the two shares are listed side by side here but not ranked together.
The typical English council
In England, 103 of the 296 councils have a band A share above the national 23.6%. The national figure counts every home, so large councils weigh more in it, and it sits well above the share in a typical council: halfway down the list of 296 councils, the share is 14.9%.
Source: Valuation Office Agency (now the Valuation Office, part of HM Revenue & Customs), Council Tax: stock of properties, 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See how the figures work.