Council tax bills have landed. For many Kingston households, the number at the top will be higher than last year — and the financial pressures driving that increase are not going away any time soon.
Here is a plain-English breakdown of what has been decided, what the numbers actually mean, and what questions residents should be asking.
At Full Council, councillors approved a 4.99% increase in Kingston's element of the council tax for 2026/27. That breaks down as 2.99% for general expenditure and a further 2% specifically for adult social care — a separate precept that councils in England have been permitted to levy for several years now to prop up care budgets.
The decision went through the Corporate and Resources Committee before being ratified at Full Council. It was not taken lightly — but it was taken.
The figure that matters — the one on your bill — is the total Band D council tax of £2,608.12 per year for 2026/27.
That compares with £2,488.35 per year in 2025/26.
The difference is £119.77 per year, or roughly £10 per month more than last year.
It is worth being clear about what that total includes. Your council tax bill is made up of two main components: the amount set by Kingston Council itself, and the GLA precept — the contribution that goes to the Greater London Authority, covering the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, the London Fire Brigade, and the Mayor's office. The £2,608.12 figure is the combined total of both. That is what you pay.
The council points to a combination of pressures that will be familiar to anyone who has followed local government finances over the past few years.
Adult social care is the single biggest driver. Demand for care packages for elderly and disabled residents has risen sharply, and the cost of providing — or commissioning — that care has risen alongside it. The dedicated 2% adult social care precept exists precisely because successive governments have acknowledged that mainstream council budgets cannot absorb these costs alone.
Inflation and wages have pushed up the cost of almost everything the council buys, from contracts with external providers to the salaries of directly employed staff.
Government funding has not kept pace. Kingston, like most London boroughs, relies on a mix of council tax, business rates, and central government grants. When grants fall short of rising costs, the gap has to be filled somewhere.
The single most important figure in this year's budget is not the council tax rise. It is the £18 million projected budget gap set out in Kingston's Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026–2030.
That is the shortfall the council expects to face over the next four years if it does nothing differently. £18 million is not a rounding error. It is a structural problem — the kind that cannot be solved by switching off the office lights or cutting the odd contract.
The council currently holds £14.2 million in reserves. Reserves are not a long-term fix; finance officers are clear that they exist for one-off pressures and emergencies, not to paper over recurring gaps year after year. Spending down reserves to cover a structural deficit simply defers the crisis.
What this means in practice is that significant decisions about service levels, staffing, and spending priorities lie ahead — decisions that will affect residents directly.
A 4.99% increase and an £18 million gap raise some legitimate questions that deserve straight answers.
Where will the £18 million in savings come from? The Medium Term Financial Strategy sets out the scale of the problem. What it does not yet spell out in detail is which services will be cut, reduced, or restructured to close that gap. Residents deserve specifics, not just a headline figure.
How were the reserves of £14.2 million built up, and how will they be used? Holding reserves is prudent. But residents are entitled to understand how much of that buffer is genuinely uncommitted, and whether any of it is earmarked for the coming pressures.
What does the adult social care precept actually pay for in Kingston? The 2% precept is now a regular feature of council tax bills, but accountability for how that specific funding is deployed is rarely visible to the public. What services does it fund? How many residents does it support?
What happens if the budget gap is not closed? The council needs to be honest about the range of outcomes. Are statutory services at risk? Will discretionary services — libraries, parks maintenance, community support — bear a disproportionate share of the cuts?
Will the May 2026 elections change anything? Kingston has 48 councillors across 19 wards, and full council elections are scheduled for 7 May 2026. That means every single seat is up for election. Budget decisions made now will be a central issue on the doorstep. Candidates should be asked what they would do differently — and held to their answers.
Council tax is the most direct financial relationship most residents have with their local authority. It is also one of the least understood.
Many residents assume the bill is set entirely by Kingston Council. In fact, a significant slice goes to the GLA and is outside Kingston's control. Understanding the difference matters — because it tells you who to hold accountable for which part of the rise.
What Kingston Council does control is how it spends its own budget, how it manages its reserves, and how transparently it communicates difficult choices. On all three counts, scrutiny from residents and the press is not just useful — it is essential.
The 127 residents already following this issue on Council Clarity, and the 14 messages already sent to councillors, suggest that people are paying attention. The question is whether the council is listening.
The budget is set — but scrutiny does not stop there. The Corporate and Resources Committee will continue to monitor the council's financial performance throughout the year, and the £18 million savings programme will require further decisions that are yet to be made publicly.
Use Council Clarity to message your councillor directly. Ask them how the budget gap will be closed, which services are at risk, and how the adult social care precept is being spent in Kingston. Your councillor represents your ward — they should be able to answer these questions, and they should hear that residents expect them to.
Find your councillor and send your message at Council Clarity. It takes two minutes, and it puts your question on the record.
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explainerKingston residents face a £119.77 rise in their annual council tax bill — and an £18M budget gap looming over the next four years. Here's what it means.