Average Local Now Losing Almost a Month’s Salary Paying Their Council Tax Bill...

The figures come as its claimed many local council's across Teesside & County Durham are getting ready to increase Council Tax Bills for April 2026, with the exception of Hartlepool, who are set to announce bills are to be frozen...

6th November 2025

The average worker living in Teesside & County Durham is now losing the equivalent of almost an entire month’s wages each year just to pay their council tax bill, new figures suggest.

With average monthly earnings across the region ranging between £2,158 and £2,279 a month — roughly around £27,000 a year — residents are finding a growing proportion of their income is now being swallowed up by ever-rising local taxation. In Hartlepool, its claimed the average Band D council tax bill now stands at around £2,495 per year, meaning a typical household is spending close to one full month’s salary solely to their local council..

It comes as Hartlepool Borough Council faces mounting public pressure amid failing services, growing demand for now 'stretched' services remaining, and criticism over its spending priorities.

Amidst public frustration over high bills, council leaders have now floated a plan to controversially freeze council tax in Hartlepool from May 2026, a proposal that's been welcomed by many hard-pressed residents struggling with the cost of living.

However, critics have warned the move could come at a steep price for local services the year after — potentially wiping away almost £3 million pounds worth of additional revenue the council would have otherwise collected. Durham County Council have already hinted that bills will have to increase in order to manage a huge overspend in its departments, with the now Reform UK led council expected to make a decision sometime in December over raising bills in order to stave off what could be a budget catastrophe, in which they've blamed 'mismanagement' by the previous Labour administration. Nearby Councils such as Stockton & Middlesbrough are also poised to increase bills by a near 5% when they go to full committees ay the end of the year.

The decision on the freeze for Hartlepool is widely expected to be finalised sometime in December 2025, with councillors said to be divided over whether Hartlepool can afford such a move without further cuts to frontline services.

A Council Tax freeze wont help those already struggling with this years bill

Some opposition voices argue that while a freeze sounds appealing, it may only serve to mask deeper financial mismanagement. Others insist residents have been “bled dry” for too long, and that local councils should start tightening their own belts & increasing council tax support to the most vulnerable, instead of constantly relying on taxpayers.

Either way, the figures highlight a stark reality: for the average local, council tax has become one of the biggest single costs of living — higher than the average mortgage payment & a bill that’s now equivalent to working nearly four full weeks a year just to keep up.