The full A to H table for all nine areas. Band D runs £2,385 in Ayot St Lawrence to £2,558 in Essendon, and only £234.64 of it is the borough's.
Two identical houses in the same council tax band can pay £173 a year apart in Welwyn Hatfield, depending on which of the borough’s nine areas they sit in. The borough council publishes the figures, but one band at a time, across eight separate pages. The whole table is below.
The other thing worth knowing before you look: only £234.64 of a band D bill is Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s. The rest goes to the county, the police and, in most of the borough, a parish or town council.
The full table, bands A to H
Charges for 2026/27, taken from the council’s own band pages and its statutory billing leaflet.
| Area | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welwyn Garden City | 1,603.52 | 1,870.78 | 2,138.03 | 2,405.28 | 2,939.78 | 3,474.29 | 4,008.80 | 4,810.56 |
| Hatfield | 1,670.16 | 1,948.52 | 2,226.89 | 2,505.24 | 3,061.96 | 3,618.67 | 4,175.40 | 5,010.48 |
| Ayot St Lawrence | 1,589.98 | 1,854.98 | 2,119.98 | 2,384.97 | 2,914.96 | 3,444.95 | 3,974.95 | 4,769.94 |
| Ayot St Peter | 1,607.14 | 1,875.00 | 2,142.86 | 2,410.71 | 2,946.42 | 3,482.13 | 4,017.85 | 4,821.42 |
| Essendon | 1,705.27 | 1,989.48 | 2,273.70 | 2,557.90 | 3,126.32 | 3,694.74 | 4,263.17 | 5,115.80 |
| North Mymms | 1,623.80 | 1,894.44 | 2,165.07 | 2,435.70 | 2,976.96 | 3,518.23 | 4,059.50 | 4,871.40 |
| Northaw & Cuffley | 1,645.93 | 1,920.25 | 2,194.58 | 2,468.89 | 3,017.53 | 3,566.17 | 4,114.82 | 4,937.78 |
| Welwyn | 1,657.02 | 1,933.19 | 2,209.37 | 2,485.53 | 3,037.87 | 3,590.20 | 4,142.55 | 4,971.06 |
| Woolmer Green | 1,618.55 | 1,888.32 | 2,158.08 | 2,427.83 | 2,967.34 | 3,506.86 | 4,046.38 | 4,855.66 |
Ayot St Lawrence is the cheapest place in the borough to pay council tax and Essendon is the dearest, at every band. The gap is £115 a year at band A and £346 at band H.
Welwyn Garden City is the second cheapest, which surprises people who assume the main town subsidises the villages. It is the other way round: the villages with active parish councils pay for them.
Where the money actually goes
Welwyn Hatfield sends out the bill and collects the money, but it keeps a tenth of it.
| Body | Share of the bill | Total raised | Band D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertfordshire County Council | 75.8% | £82.71m | £1,858.19 |
| Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire | 11.4% | £12.46m | £280.00 |
| Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council | 10.3% | £11.22m | £234.64 |
| Parish and town councils | 2.5% | £2.76m | Varies by area |
Every band pays those three fixed elements in the same statutory proportions:
| Band | Hertfordshire CC | Police | Borough | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1,238.79 | 186.67 | 156.43 | 1,581.89 |
| B | 1,445.26 | 217.78 | 182.50 | 1,845.54 |
| C | 1,651.73 | 248.89 | 208.57 | 2,109.19 |
| D | 1,858.19 | 280.00 | 234.64 | 2,372.83 |
| E | 2,271.12 | 342.22 | 286.78 | 2,900.12 |
| F | 2,684.05 | 404.44 | 338.92 | 3,427.41 |
| G | 3,096.98 | 466.67 | 391.07 | 3,954.72 |
| H | 3,716.38 | 560.00 | 469.28 | 4,745.66 |
What went up, and by how much
The three main preceptors moved by very different amounts, and the smallest of them raised the least.
- Hertfordshire County Council: up 4.99%, made up of a 2.99% general increase and a 2% adult social care precept. That is £88.32 more at band D, or about £1.70 a week, and it is roughly seven-eighths of the whole year’s increase.
- Police and Crime Commissioner: £265 to £280, a rise of £15 at band D. The Government told commissioners it expected a £15 increase.
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council: up £7.29 a year at band D, which the council put at “around 14p per week” when it published the budget. It approved the 2026/27 budget on 6 February 2026.
The parish precepts, and the two that jumped
Eight of the nine areas have a parish or town council. Its precept is set locally, divided by the number of band D equivalent homes in the parish, and added to the bill.
| Council | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | £140.87 | £181.71 | +29.0% |
| Hatfield Town Council | £101.47 | £124.00 | +22.2% |
| North Mymms | £56.54 | £62.87 | +11.2% |
| Woolmer Green | £52.35 | £55.00 | +5.1% |
| Ayot St Lawrence | £11.78 | £12.14 | +3.1% |
| Welwyn | £97.75 | £99.39 | +1.7% |
| Ayot St Peter | £37.44 | £37.88 | +1.2% |
| Northaw & Cuffley | £89.94 | £90.84 | +1.0% |
Parish precepts are not capped by the referendum rules that bind the county, police and borough, which is how two of them moved by more than 20% in one year.
Essendon’s total precept went from £61,181 to £79,207, and its budgeted spending rose from £61,649 to £79,597. Spread over a tax base of 435.90 band D equivalent homes, that is the single largest increase in the borough.
Hatfield Town Council’s precept rose from £1,283,600 to £1,595,923. Its spending went up £293,493 to £2,121,843, and at the same time the income and reserves it draws on fell by £18,830. Both movements push the same way, which is why a 16% spending rise became a 24% precept rise and a 22.2% increase at band D.
At the other end, Northaw and Cuffley added 90p a year at band D and Ayot St Peter 44p.
The charge nobody explains: special expenses
Welwyn Garden City has no parish or town council, so on the face of it a band D home there should pay the £2,372.83 that county, police and borough take. It pays £2,405.28.
The difference is £32.45 a year, and it is a borough special expense: a charge for services the borough provides directly in one area that a parish council provides elsewhere. The council’s leaflet mentions special expenses in a single clause and then never gives a figure for any of them.
Subtracting the published parish precept from the published area total gives the amount in every case:
| Area | Area total | Less county, police, borough | Less parish precept | Special expense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welwyn Garden City | £2,405.28 | £2,372.83 | none | £32.45 |
| Welwyn | £2,485.53 | £2,372.83 | £99.39 | £13.31 |
| Hatfield | £2,505.24 | £2,372.83 | £124.00 | £8.41 |
| Northaw & Cuffley | £2,468.89 | £2,372.83 | £90.84 | £5.22 |
| Essendon | £2,557.90 | £2,372.83 | £181.71 | £3.36 |
The other four areas, Ayot St Lawrence, Ayot St Peter, North Mymms and Woolmer Green, reconcile to the penny with no special expense at all. That arithmetic is ours, not the council’s, but every number going into it is the council’s own.
Checking and challenging your band
Bands are set on what a property was worth on 1 April 1991, not what it is worth now, and they are the Valuation Office Agency’s responsibility rather than the council’s.
| Band | 1991 value | Band | 1991 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | H | Over £320,000 |
Check your band free on the VOA’s council tax band search, and if you think it is wrong, challenge it through contact the VOA or on 03000 501 501. Never pay a company to do it. The council warns that misleading websites charge for free services, alongside a run of refund scam texts and calls.
Two warnings before you challenge. A revaluation can move a band up as well as down, and it can move your neighbours’ too. And you must keep paying the existing bill while a challenge is outstanding.
Discounts, exemptions and support
- Single person discount: 25% if you are the only adult in the property. You confirm in writing or through the council’s portal, giving the date you became sole occupier.
- Students: a property occupied only by students is exempt, and halls of residence pay nothing. One non-student in the property and the exemption falls away entirely.
- Disregarded residents: a discount or exemption may apply if all, or all but one, of the residents are disregarded.
- Empty homes and second homes carry their own discounts and premiums, set out on the council’s empty homes page.
- Council tax support is means tested and has to be claimed separately, even from Universal Credit, because the DWP does not tell the council. You cannot claim with savings and investments over £16,000, unless you are a pensioner receiving Guarantee Credit.
You do not need a low income for the discounts and exemptions, and savings are not counted for them. That is only true of council tax support.
Council tax, support and business rates in Welwyn Hatfield are administered by Liberata UK Ltd under contract, so bills and correspondence come from welhat.counciltax@liberata.com. The benefits team is on 0333 034 3014, 9am to 5pm. Free independent debt advice is at Citizens Advice, Queensway House, Hatfield, AL10 0LW, on 0800 144 8848.
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Welwyn Garden City?
£2,405.28 a year at band D in 2026/27, and £1,603.52 at band A. Welwyn Garden City is the second cheapest of the borough’s nine areas because it has no parish council, only a £32.45 special expense.
How much is council tax in Hatfield?
£2,505.24 at band D, £100 a year more than Welwyn Garden City. Hatfield Town Council’s precept accounts for £124.00 of that, and it rose 22.2% this year.
Which part of Welwyn Hatfield has the cheapest council tax?
Ayot St Lawrence, at £2,384.97 for band D. Essendon is the dearest at £2,557.90, a difference of £172.93 a year for the same band.
How much did council tax go up in Welwyn Hatfield this year?
The county council took 4.99%, worth £88.32 at band D. The police precept rose £15 to £280. The borough council’s own share went up £7.29. Parish precepts moved separately, from 1.0% in Northaw and Cuffley to 29.0% in Essendon.
Who do I pay my council tax to?
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council bills and collects it, through Liberata. It keeps 10.3%. Hertfordshire County Council takes 75.8% and the Police and Crime Commissioner 11.4%.
How do I challenge my council tax band?
Through the Valuation Office Agency, not the council, at gov.uk/contact-voa or on 03000 501 501. It is free. Keep paying your bill while the challenge is open, and be aware a review can put the band up.
Sources
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Council Tax 2026/27 billing information, the statutory billing leaflet, for the preceptor shares and totals, the band by band county, police and borough charges, the nine-area band A to H table, every parish precept, tax base and band D figure for 2025/26 and 2026/27, and the discount, student, single person and council tax support rules.
- Council tax bands and its individual band A to H pages, checked 2 September 2026, which carry the same nine-area figures.
- Working out council tax bands for the 1991 valuation ranges and the list of precepting bodies.
- Cabinet considers Business Plan and Budget for 2026-27, the council’s own budget announcement, for the £7.29 band D increase and the 14p a week figure.
- Hertfordshire County Council’s 4.99% increase, made up of 2.99% plus a 2% adult social care precept, and the Government’s expectation of a £15 police precept rise taking Hertfordshire from £265 to £280, as reported when the budgets were set. The resulting band D amounts of £1,858.19 and £280.00 are the council’s own published figures.
- Valuation Office Agency for band checks and challenges.
The special expenses table is our arithmetic on the council’s published figures, not a figure the council states. Everything else is quoted from source. Charges change each April. Also useful: bin collection days, parking in Welwyn Garden City and Welwyn Hatfield planning news.
Have your say
We read every message. To comment on this story, email the newsdesk and we may publish a selection of responses: hello@welwynonline.co.uk.