Last reviewed: May 2026
Quick answer: Leicestershire County Council sets its precept each February within the central referendum cap, and the increase is added to bills issued by the seven district councils in the county.Leicestershire County Council Tax is not a separate bill but a precept added to the Council Tax bill you receive from your district council. The seven districts (Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire and Oadby and Wigston) each issue the bill; Leicestershire County Council sets the precept amount; the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority each add their own precepts.
Leicester City itself is a unitary authority and is outside the Leicestershire County Council area. Rutland Council is also unitary. So when "Leicestershire County Council Tax" is discussed, it means the precept that goes on bills in the seven shire districts.
| Band | Property Value (1991) | Ratio to Band D |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | 6/9 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | 7/9 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | 8/9 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | 9/9 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | 11/9 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | 13/9 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | 15/9 |
| H | Over £320,000 | 18/9 |
Band ranges set nationally in 1991. Leicestershire County Council sets a precept added to district bills; the cash amount per band is the sum of all precepting bodies.
How the Leicestershire County Council precept increase is set
Leicestershire County Council approves its budget and precept increase at a full council meeting in February. The decision is taken within the cap that central government sets each autumn: a core Council Tax cap plus the social care precept cap (for councils with social care responsibility).
If the proposed rise exceeds both caps combined, the council would have to hold a referendum. No English county council has won such a referendum, so the cap functions as the practical ceiling on the annual rise. Leicestershire has set its precept within the cap each year since the cap was introduced in 2012.
The papers for the budget meeting are published on leicestershire.gov.uk a few weeks in advance. They include the medium-term financial strategy, the equalities impact assessment and the line-by-line revenue and capital budgets.
Council Tax bands A to H in the Leicestershire districts
The Valuation Office Agency assigns every home in England to one of eight bands, A through H, based on its value in April 1991. the Leicestershire districts then sets a Band D rate; every other band is a fixed fraction of Band D.
Band A is 6/9ths of Band D, Band B is 7/9ths, Band C is 8/9ths, Band E is 11/9ths, Band F is 13/9ths, Band G is 15/9ths and Band H is 18/9ths. This ratio is fixed by central government and applies the same way in the Leicestershire districts as it does in any other English billing authority.
To check your band, look up your address on the Valuation Office Agency search tool, or use the band shown on your annual bill. If you think the band is wrong because of evidence about your property in 1991, you have a narrow window to challenge it once you first move in.
What the increase adds to a district bill
The Leicestershire County Council precept is the largest single component of most bills in the seven districts. Within the cap, a percentage rise on a high precept produces a larger absolute increase than the same percentage on a smaller district charge.
On a typical bill the lines are: district council, Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority, and (where the parish or town has chosen to raise its own precept) the parish or town precept. Each is set independently; only the district collects on behalf of all the others.
The district publishes a band-by-band breakdown of the full bill after all the precepts have been set, on its "Council Tax charges" page.
How residents can respond to a proposed increase
Leicestershire County Council runs a public consultation on its budget each autumn and early winter. Responses are summarised in the papers for the February budget meeting. You can also email your county councillor (find them on the leicestershire.gov.uk find-my-councillor page) or attend the public part of the full council budget meeting.
Once the budget has been approved, the precept cannot be changed until the following year. Your route after that is the next round of local elections (county councillors are elected every four years) or, where you believe the rise is so far out of line with what the cap permits that a referendum is required, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
If the increase makes the bill difficult to afford, contact your district council about Council Tax Support and any short-term discretionary reduction. The district administers these on behalf of the whole bill, including the county precept.
Banding, moving and arrears in the Leicestershire districts
Banding is decided by the Valuation Office Agency, not by Leicestershire County Council or the districts. To check or challenge your band, use the VOA Council Tax band search. The formal challenge window is the first six months after first moving in; after that, informal review is still possible but changes are rare.
Tell your district council (not the county) when you move in or out of an address in the Leicestershire districts. The district is the billing authority and handles all administration; the county simply receives its share of what is collected.
Falling behind on payments triggers the standard sequence: 7-day reminder, loss of right to instalments, court summons, liability order. Enforcement is by the district, not the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leicestershire County Council Tax separate from my district bill?
No. The county precept is added to your district bill rather than sent as a separate invoice. You pay the district, which passes the county's share on.
Does Leicester City pay the Leicestershire County precept?
No. Leicester City is a unitary authority that is not in the Leicestershire County Council area. Rutland is similarly unitary and not in the county area.
What is the social care precept cap?
It is the extra annual increase that councils with social care responsibility (county councils and unitaries) can add to Council Tax for adult social care, on top of the core cap. The level is set each autumn for the following year.
Could Leicestershire County Council hold a Council Tax referendum?
In principle, yes, if it wanted to set a precept above the combined cap. In practice, no English council has won such a referendum, so the cap is the de facto ceiling.
Where do I find Leicestershire County Council's budget papers?
On leicestershire.gov.uk, in the area covering committee meetings and full council agendas. The budget book is published with the agenda for the February budget meeting.
How We Verified This
County precept structure, cap arrangement and unitary distinction for Leicester and Rutland verified against gov.uk, the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Localism Act 2011 (referendum cap).