Bands and Charges

The amount of Council Tax you pay depends on charges raised by Sefton Council, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority and the Liverpool City Region - Mayoral Precept.

Sefton Council has set a COUNCIL TAX of £1,816.48 for its own (and levied) services for BAND C properties not affected by parish precepts. This includes an additional amount of £283.97 for a precept to help fund Adult Social Care (ASC) - see below for an explanation of this precept.

The Merseyside Police and Fire Authorities have set charges of £247.97 and £85.56 respectively. The Liverpool City Region - Mayoral Precept is £21.33

The total Band C Council Tax set for Sefton for 20245/2026 will therefore be £2,171.34.

The total 2025/2026 Council tax set for each valuation band is as follows:

Notes:

1. The Tax Base for Sefton Council in 2025/2026 is estimated to be 87,367.70. This represents the estimated number of Band “D” Equivalent properties.
2. Band “D” Equivalent is the statutory method of expressing the cost of Council Tax for any given area if all properties are valued as a proportion of a Band D property.

The Secretary of State made an offer to adult social care authorities. (“Adult social care authorities” are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)

The offer was the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional “precept” on its council tax without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting its expenditure on adult social care from the financial year 2016-17. It was originally made in respect of the financial years up to and including 2019-20. If the Secretary of State chooses to renew this offer in respect of a particular financial year, this is subject to the approval of the House of Commons.”

Council Tax Bill 2025/26
For 2025/2026 the Council was allowed to increase total Council Tax by 3% (above the 2024/2025 level) without the need to hold a referendum. Sefton’s increase was 2.99%.

In addition, since 2016/2017 Councils have been able to increase total Council Tax by a further amount to contribute to the funding of Adult Social Care (known as the Adult Social Care Precept). Sefton’s increase was 2% in 2016/2017 (the maximum allowed). The maximum increase in 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 was 3% in any one year but subject to a maximum increase of 6% across the three years.  Sefton implemented increases of 3% in both 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. Therefore, as Sefton had already implemented the 6% maximum increase across the period, no increase could be made in 2019/2020. For 2020/2021 the maximum increased allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept was 2%. Sefton’s increase was 2%. For 2021/2022 the maximum increased allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept was 3%. Sefton’s increase was 3%. For 2022/2023 the maximum increase allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept was 1%. Sefton’s increase was 1%. For 2023/2024 the maximum increase allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept is 2%. Sefton’s increase was 2%.  For 2024/2025 the maximum increase allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept was 2%. Sefton’s increase was 2%. 

For 2025/2026 the maximum increase allowed for the Adult Social Care Precept is 2%. Sefton’s increase is 2%. The total increase in Council Tax in 2025/2026 is therefore 4.99%.

Until 2024/2025, the Adult Social Care Precept had to be shown separately on Council Tax Demand Notices. From 2025/2026 the regulations have been amended so that the Adult Social Care Precept has to be shown with the Sefton Council element as one amount.

Please see information below. 

Liverpool City Region

(pdf 198KB)

Further information can be found at www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk

If you live in one of Sefton's ten parishes, a parish precept is included in your Council Tax charge. These precepts are included in the total budget requirements for Sefton Council as a billing Authority. This individual parish precept is added to the Sefton, Police and Fire amounts to give the full charge for the financial year.

For example, consider a Band C property in Aintree Village. Sefton Council has set a charge of £1,816.48 (including the Adult Social Care precept of £283.97), Merseyside Police and Fire Authorities charges of £247.97 and £85.56 respectively and the Liverpool City Region Mayoral Precept of £21.33. The Aintree Parish Precept of £77.85 is then added.

When those five figures are added together, the full charge for a Band C property in Aintree Village will be £2,249.19.  

Parish Precepts Over £140,000
There is a requirement to publish budget details for all Parish Councils that have issued a precept above £140,000.

Aintree Parish Council has issued a precept to the Council of £182,972 for 2025/2026. Details of Aintree’s budget for 2025/2026 are shown below:

Lydiate Parish Council has issued a precept to the Council of £237,000 for 2025/2026. Details of Lydiate’s budget for 2025/2026 are shown below:

Maghull Town Council has issued a precept to the Council of £927,761 for 2025/2026. Details of Maghull’s budget for 2025/2026 are shown below:

If you are the person liable for Council Tax, and you are not happy with the band into which your property has been placed, you have certain rights of appeal.

The grounds for appeal about banding are restricted to the following cases:

• where you believe that the banding should be changed because there has been a material increase or material reduction (this is explained below) in the dwelling's value;
• where you start or stop using part of your dwelling to carry out business, or the balance between domestic and business use changes;
• where the Listing Officer has altered a list without a proposal having been made by a taxpayer;
• where you become the taxpayer in respect of a dwelling for the first time. (Your appeal must be made within 6 months. If the same appeal has already been considered and determined by a Valuation Tribunal, it cannot be made again).

A material increase in the value may result from building, engineering, or other work carried out on the dwelling. In these cases, revaluation does not take place until a sale, so the person appealing would usually be the new owner or resident.

A material reduction in value may result from the demolition of any part of the dwelling or from any change in the physical state of the local area. It could result from an adaptation to make the dwelling suitable for use by someone with a physical disability.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) values domestic properties for council tax. This valuation is used to set your council tax band.

If you think your Council Tax band is wrong you should contact the VOA at www.gov.uk/contact-voa or on Tel No. 03000 501 501

Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment pending the outcome. If your appeal is successful, you will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid Council Tax.