Estimating Council Tax For Highland Council in 2026/27 Plus Already Agreed Water Charge

24th February 2026

As of late February 2026, The Highland Council hasn't yet officially announced a specific council tax increase level for the 2026-27 financial year, and there's no widely reported draft percentage figure like some other Scottish councils have published. However, there are indications and discussions that give a sense of the thinking ahead of the formal budget decision.

Current Public Position

Highland Council has been engaging with the public as part of its budget process for 2026/27, highlighting a significant budget gap and seeking views on priorities and how to close that gap — including income options such as council tax and other charges.

This engagement exercise suggests councillors are considering all options to balance the budget, but there's no definitive proposed percentage rise publicly released yet ahead of the formal budget meeting scheduled for early March 2026 (when the council normally agrees its tax rate).

Indicative Figures from Council Papers

Draft budget documents produced by the council include indicative council tax charges for 2026/27 showing a projected increase of around 7% across valuation bands, compared with the 2025/26 level. These figures appear in the Highland Council's medium-term budget planning papers, suggesting a 7 % indicative rise.

The table on this page is an indicative estimate based on information available.
The water charge is as already announced.
Water charges are rising significantly in 2026-27 compared with 2025-26 — e.g., Band D combined charges go from £600.39 to £652.32.

What This Means

The 7 % figure in the council's internal planning papers is indicative, not final and is effectively a working assumption used in modelling rather than a formal decision.

Example Summary (Band D)

2025-26 total bill: £1,957.80
2026-27 total bill (est): £2,104.75
Increase: £146.95 per year (£12 a month)
Approx % total rise: 7.5%

Highland Council still needs to agree its final tax level in its full budget meeting, and that could be higher or lower depending on final funding settlement and council priorities.

When a Decision Is Expected

The council sets the final council tax level for the coming year in March, at its annual budget meeting. So a formal announcement on 2026-27 tax levels including any increase will likely emerge at a Special Meeting of Highland Council meeting on 4th March 2026.

 

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