Who's Raising the Most? Interactive Map Shows The Regions Council Tax Changes..

Feb 22
3 min read

Updated: Mar 1

Check Your Area: Teesside Council Tax Increases Mapped

Check Your Area: Interactive Map Reveals Council Tax Increases Across The Region...

22nd Feb 2026

Our new interactive map lays bare the growing divide in council tax decisions across the North East, highlighting which councils are now imposing the steepest increases and which are opting for a core freeze as households continue to face sustained cost-of-living pressure.

The map allows readers to move their cursor over each local council area to see exactly how much your council tax is set to rise in 2026/27, and the results present a sharply contrasting financial picture across the region.

For readers living on Teesside, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington sit at the top of the scale for Teesside, both moving towards increases just below the Government’s referendum threshold. Stockton-on-Tees is introducing a 4.95 per cent rise, while Darlington is setting a 4.99 per cent increase, placing them among the highest in the North East this year. For residents in Band D properties, those increases will translate into a significant annual cash increase for those councils at a time when many households are already under strain from rising energy, food and housing costs.

In contrast, Middlesbrough and County Durham are both implementing a core council tax freeze, limiting their increases to the adult social care precept only. Middlesbrough will apply a two per cent rise solely for social care, while County Durham has set a 1.99 per cent social care precept with no increase to its core council tax. Politically, the distinction is significant, with both councils able to argue they've protected the main element of the bill while still raising additional funds for one of the most financially pressured services in local government.

Hartlepool now has 'less than two weeks' to agree a budget

Councillors representing Hartlepool moved to delay a council tax decision, instead approaching the government for further funding

Hartlepool, however remains the outlier & is said to be 'Running out of time'. At the time of publication its budget position — and therefore its council tax level — has not been agreed, leaving residents without a confirmed figure while neighbouring councils have already set their increases.

The absence of a published rate not only creates uncertainty for households planning their finances for the coming year, but also places Hartlepool Borough Council under increasing scrutiny as comparisons across the wider Teesside area become unavoidable.

The visual comparison offered by the map underlines how council tax policy has become one of the clearest dividing lines in local politics. Council's imposing the full increase can point to funding pressures, particularly in adult social care and children’s services, as justification for raising revenue locally. Those freezing their core rate are likely to present their decision as evidence of tighter financial management and a commitment to shielding residents from further cost increases.

For local taxpayers, however, the practical effect is simple and immediate: the same regional economy now contains councils taking significantly different approaches to how much more residents are expected to pay from April.

The map will be updated as soon as Hartlepool’s final figure is published, completing the picture across the region. Until then, the map provides the clearest side-by-side comparison available, allowing readers to see in seconds how their local council’s decision compares with its neighbours and where the highest financial burdens are falling.