Band D in Milton Keynes runs from £2,235.27 to £2,603.42 depending on your parish. Full A to H table for all 48 areas, and the precepts inside the bill.
A band D home in Woughton pays £2,603.42 in council tax this year. The same band in Calverton, Cold Brayfield or Warrington pays £2,235.27. That is a gap of £368.15 for identical city council, police and fire services.
The difference is entirely the parish precept. Milton Keynes City Council, Thames Valley Police and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority charge exactly the same everywhere in the city. Only the parish or town council changes, and three parish meetings charge nothing at all.
Every figure below comes from Milton Keynes City Council’s published charges, its 2026/27 council tax guide and the government’s own council tax statistics, checked on 31 August 2026.
The three precepts everyone pays
| Body | Band D 2026/27 | Band D 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes City Council | £1,847.53 | £1,759.72 | up 4.99% |
| Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley | £298.28 | £283.28 | up £15, or 5.30% |
| Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority | £89.46 | £84.46 | up £5, or 5.92% |
| Base bill before any parish precept | £2,235.27 | £2,127.46 | up £107.81, or 5.07% |
The city council’s 4.99% is split 2.99% on the main charge and 2.00% on the adult social care precept, approved on 18 February 2026. Under a 2025 regulation change, your bill will not show those two elements separately. It will show one line for Milton Keynes City Council and one figure of 4.99%.
Milton Keynes needs to collect £241.555m in council tax this year, spread over a tax base of 101,826.87 band D equivalent properties. Of every pound collected, 78p goes to the city council, 12p to the police, 6p to parish and town councils and 4p to the fire authority.
Source: Milton Keynes City Council, Your Guide to Council Tax in 2026/27.
One thing to note if you check the maths yourself. The guide’s precept table totals the three net precept requirements as £277,611,000. The three figures above it add up to £227,610,000, and that is the number that reconciles both to the £2,235.27 band D charge and to the £241.555m the council says it must collect. The 277 is a typo.
Where your parish sits
The parish element at band D ranges from £368.15 in Woughton down to nothing in Calverton, Cold Brayfield and Warrington. The six largest are Woughton (£368.15), Newport Pagnell (£246.10), Wolverton and Greenleys (£244.00), Campbell Park (£235.73), Bletchley and Fenny Stratford (£216.73) and West Bletchley (£189.98).
The full band A to H table for all 48 parish areas
Sorted by band D, highest first.
| Parish or town | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woughton | £1,735.60 | £2,024.89 | £2,314.14 | £2,603.42 | £3,181.95 | £3,760.49 | £4,339.02 | £5,206.84 |
| Newport Pagnell | £1,654.24 | £1,929.96 | £2,205.66 | £2,481.37 | £3,032.78 | £3,584.20 | £4,135.61 | £4,962.74 |
| Wolverton & Greenleys | £1,652.84 | £1,928.33 | £2,203.79 | £2,479.27 | £3,030.21 | £3,581.16 | £4,132.11 | £4,958.54 |
| Campbell Park | £1,647.32 | £1,921.89 | £2,196.44 | £2,471.00 | £3,020.10 | £3,569.22 | £4,118.32 | £4,942.00 |
| Bletchley & Fenny Stratford | £1,634.65 | £1,907.11 | £2,179.55 | £2,452.00 | £2,996.88 | £3,541.77 | £4,086.65 | £4,904.00 |
| West Bletchley | £1,616.82 | £1,886.31 | £2,155.77 | £2,425.25 | £2,964.19 | £3,503.14 | £4,042.07 | £4,850.50 |
| Bow Brickhill | £1,609.64 | £1,877.93 | £2,146.20 | £2,414.48 | £2,951.02 | £3,487.58 | £4,024.12 | £4,828.96 |
| Stantonbury | £1,593.02 | £1,858.54 | £2,124.03 | £2,389.55 | £2,920.55 | £3,451.57 | £3,982.57 | £4,779.10 |
| Olney | £1,578.38 | £1,841.47 | £2,104.52 | £2,367.59 | £2,893.71 | £3,419.85 | £3,945.97 | £4,735.18 |
| Great Linford | £1,577.85 | £1,840.84 | £2,103.81 | £2,366.79 | £2,892.73 | £3,418.69 | £3,944.64 | £4,733.58 |
| Woburn Sands | £1,577.83 | £1,840.82 | £2,103.78 | £2,366.77 | £2,892.71 | £3,418.66 | £3,944.60 | £4,733.54 |
| Stony Stratford | £1,569.87 | £1,831.54 | £2,093.18 | £2,354.83 | £2,878.11 | £3,401.42 | £3,924.70 | £4,709.66 |
| Fairfields | £1,569.64 | £1,831.27 | £2,092.86 | £2,354.48 | £2,877.69 | £3,400.91 | £3,924.12 | £4,708.96 |
| Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe | £1,566.83 | £1,827.99 | £2,089.12 | £2,350.27 | £2,872.54 | £3,394.83 | £3,917.11 | £4,700.54 |
| Little Brickhill | £1,564.38 | £1,825.13 | £2,085.85 | £2,346.59 | £2,868.05 | £3,389.52 | £3,910.97 | £4,693.18 |
| Walton | £1,562.09 | £1,822.46 | £2,082.80 | £2,343.16 | £2,863.85 | £3,384.56 | £3,905.25 | £4,686.32 |
| Hanslope | £1,558.69 | £1,818.49 | £2,078.26 | £2,338.05 | £2,857.61 | £3,377.18 | £3,896.74 | £4,676.10 |
| Stoke Goldington | £1,557.88 | £1,817.54 | £2,077.18 | £2,336.83 | £2,856.12 | £3,375.42 | £3,894.71 | £4,673.66 |
| Sherington | £1,556.48 | £1,815.91 | £2,075.32 | £2,334.74 | £2,853.57 | £3,372.40 | £3,891.22 | £4,669.48 |
| Haversham & Little Linford | £1,556.45 | £1,815.87 | £2,075.27 | £2,334.69 | £2,853.50 | £3,372.32 | £3,891.14 | £4,669.38 |
| Castlethorpe | £1,554.02 | £1,813.05 | £2,072.04 | £2,331.05 | £2,849.05 | £3,367.07 | £3,885.07 | £4,662.10 |
| Weston Underwood | £1,553.13 | £1,812.00 | £2,070.85 | £2,329.71 | £2,847.42 | £3,365.13 | £3,882.84 | £4,659.42 |
| Whitehouse | £1,551.31 | £1,809.88 | £2,068.42 | £2,326.98 | £2,844.08 | £3,361.19 | £3,878.29 | £4,653.96 |
| Ravenstone | £1,551.26 | £1,809.82 | £2,068.36 | £2,326.91 | £2,843.99 | £3,361.09 | £3,878.17 | £4,653.82 |
| Wavendon | £1,547.77 | £1,805.76 | £2,063.70 | £2,321.68 | £2,837.60 | £3,353.53 | £3,869.45 | £4,643.36 |
| New Bradwell | £1,547.17 | £1,805.05 | £2,062.90 | £2,320.77 | £2,836.49 | £3,352.22 | £3,867.94 | £4,641.54 |
| Shenley Church End | £1,546.84 | £1,804.66 | £2,062.46 | £2,320.27 | £2,835.88 | £3,351.50 | £3,867.11 | £4,640.54 |
| Clifton Reynes & Newton Blossomville | £1,546.61 | £1,804.40 | £2,062.17 | £2,319.95 | £2,835.49 | £3,351.04 | £3,866.56 | £4,639.90 |
| Bradwell | £1,543.31 | £1,800.55 | £2,057.76 | £2,314.99 | £2,829.42 | £3,343.87 | £3,858.30 | £4,629.98 |
| Kents Hill, Monkston & Brinklow | £1,540.00 | £1,796.69 | £2,053.35 | £2,310.03 | £2,823.36 | £3,336.70 | £3,850.04 | £4,620.06 |
| North Crawley | £1,539.78 | £1,796.43 | £2,053.05 | £2,309.69 | £2,822.95 | £3,336.22 | £3,849.46 | £4,619.38 |
| Two Mile Ash | £1,538.05 | £1,794.40 | £2,050.73 | £2,307.09 | £2,819.77 | £3,332.46 | £3,845.14 | £4,614.18 |
| Emberton | £1,537.12 | £1,793.32 | £2,049.50 | £2,305.70 | £2,818.07 | £3,330.46 | £3,842.82 | £4,611.40 |
| Simpson & Ashland | £1,535.64 | £1,791.59 | £2,047.52 | £2,303.47 | £2,815.35 | £3,327.23 | £3,839.11 | £4,606.94 |
| Astwood & Hardmead | £1,534.25 | £1,789.98 | £2,045.67 | £2,301.39 | £2,812.80 | £3,324.23 | £3,835.64 | £4,602.78 |
| Lavendon | £1,533.30 | £1,788.87 | £2,044.41 | £2,299.97 | £2,811.07 | £3,322.17 | £3,833.27 | £4,599.94 |
| Broughton & Milton Keynes | £1,531.49 | £1,786.76 | £2,041.99 | £2,297.25 | £2,807.74 | £3,318.25 | £3,828.74 | £4,594.50 |
| Loughton & Great Holm | £1,521.94 | £1,775.62 | £2,029.26 | £2,282.93 | £2,790.23 | £3,297.55 | £3,804.87 | £4,565.86 |
| Moulsoe | £1,521.38 | £1,774.96 | £2,028.51 | £2,282.08 | £2,789.20 | £3,296.33 | £3,803.46 | £4,564.16 |
| Old Woughton | £1,516.65 | £1,769.44 | £2,022.20 | £2,274.99 | £2,780.53 | £3,286.09 | £3,791.64 | £4,549.98 |
| Central Milton Keynes | £1,513.45 | £1,765.71 | £2,017.94 | £2,270.19 | £2,774.67 | £3,279.16 | £3,783.64 | £4,540.38 |
| Gayhurst | £1,506.70 | £1,757.84 | £2,008.95 | £2,260.07 | £2,762.31 | £3,264.55 | £3,766.77 | £4,520.14 |
| Chicheley | £1,506.64 | £1,757.78 | £2,008.87 | £2,259.99 | £2,762.19 | £3,264.43 | £3,766.63 | £4,519.98 |
| Lathbury | £1,501.68 | £1,751.99 | £2,002.25 | £2,252.54 | £2,753.09 | £3,253.67 | £3,754.22 | £4,505.08 |
| Tyringham & Filgrave | £1,501.28 | £1,751.51 | £2,001.71 | £2,251.94 | £2,752.36 | £3,252.79 | £3,753.22 | £4,503.88 |
| Calverton | £1,490.17 | £1,738.55 | £1,986.90 | £2,235.27 | £2,731.99 | £3,228.72 | £3,725.44 | £4,470.54 |
| Cold Brayfield | £1,490.17 | £1,738.55 | £1,986.90 | £2,235.27 | £2,731.99 | £3,228.72 | £3,725.44 | £4,470.54 |
| Warrington | £1,490.17 | £1,738.55 | £1,986.90 | £2,235.27 | £2,731.99 | £3,228.72 | £3,725.44 | £4,470.54 |
Source: Milton Keynes City Council, council tax charges 2026 to 2027, cross-checked against Appendix B to the budget report put to full council on 2 February 2026. The two agree to the penny.
If you live in Two Mile Ash, look for that name rather than Abbey Hill. The parish council was renamed with effect from 1 April 2026, and the council’s budget papers still carry both names.
Which parish precepts moved this year
Parish and town councils asked for £13.945m between them, up from £13.004m, a rise of 7.2%. That is more than double the city council’s own increase, and it is not capped: parish precepts are outside the referendum limits that bind the city council.
The largest increases in precept demand:
| Parish | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Reynes and Newton Blossomville | £8,101 | £17,296 | up 113.5% |
| Moulsoe | £8,760 | £13,474 | up 53.8% |
| Wavendon | £185,320 | £266,150 | up 43.6% |
| Fairfields | £128,094 | £156,860 | up 22.5% |
| Sherington | £39,000 | £46,800 | up 20.0% |
| Kents Hill, Monkston and Brinklow | £180,613 | £204,937 | up 13.5% |
Five cut their demand. Old Woughton asked for £17,000 against £28,000 last year, down 39.3%. Chicheley is down 18.0%, Simpson and Ashland 10.6%, North Crawley 6.1% and Walton 3.9%. Astwood and Hardmead trimmed £71 off a £9,522 precept.
Where a parish precept tops £140,000 the council must publish its gross spend and income. Those tables are on pages 9 and 10 of the council tax guide, and they show several parishes funding the gap out of reserves. Walton drew £228,285 from reserves, Stantonbury £110,000 and Kents Hill £100,000.
How Milton Keynes compares
Milton Keynes is a cheap billing authority and an average area to live in, which sounds contradictory until you separate the two numbers.
The city council’s own charge of £1,847.53 is the eighth lowest of England’s 63 unitary authorities. Only Windsor and Maidenhead, Telford and Wrekin, the Isles of Scilly, Bracknell Forest, Stoke-on-Trent and two others charge less. The average shire unitary charges £2,009.87.
The average total bill across Milton Keynes is £2,372.21 at band D once police, fire and parish are added. That is 16th lowest of the 63 unitaries, and slightly below the England average of £2,391.52.
The police precept is the reason the total lands so close to average. Thames Valley’s £298.28 is almost exactly the England average of £297.48 for police and crime commissioners, while the fire charge of £89.46 is well under the £98.40 average.
Source: MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027, tables 2, 8a and 9. Table 9 records the Milton Keynes area band D as £2,372.21, matching the council’s own average exactly.
What band you are in, and how to challenge it
Bands were set on what a property was worth on 1 April 1991, not today.
| Band | 1991 value |
|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | £320,001 and over |
Check your band on gov.uk/council-tax-bands and challenge it, if you think it is wrong, at gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band. Banding is the Valuation Office Agency’s job, not the council’s, and the Valuation Tribunal cannot hear band appeals.
Two warnings the council makes itself. Challenging your band is free and you do not need an agent; fraudulent council tax agents operate nationally. And you must keep paying while the challenge is considered.
Appeals about anything else, liability, a discount, an exemption, a premium or a penalty, go to the council’s revenues team within two months of the date on your bill. If it does not reply within two months, or you disagree with the reply, you have a further two months to go to the Valuation Tribunal, which is free and impartial. See the council’s appeals page.
Discounts
Single person discount, 25%. A full bill assumes at least two adults. One adult over 18 living there as their sole or main residence takes a quarter off. You must report a change within 21 days or face a £70 penalty, and the same 21-day rule and penalty apply to every discount and exemption (single person discount).
Council Tax Reduction is means tested. Working-age claimants can get help with up to 80% of the bill, so at least 20% is always payable. Pension-age claimants can get up to 100%. Capital limits are £16,000 for pension age and £6,000 for working age, tighter than most schemes.
Four groups of working-age claimants can still get 100%: recipients of a war pension, war widow’s pension or war disablement pension; care leavers under 25; people diagnosed as terminally ill where death within 12 months is not unlikely; and people with a mental health condition that significantly affects their ability to manage money and who have nobody dealing with the bill for them. Each needs evidence from a health or social care professional (claiming Council Tax Reduction).
Premiums on empty homes and second homes
Milton Keynes charges a 100% premium on second homes from the first day, introduced on 1 April 2025. A second home means a furnished property that is not your main residence: a holiday home, job-related accommodation, somewhere inherited, somewhere empty between tenants or on the market.
Empty and unfurnished properties escalate:
| Empty for | Premium |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | None |
| 1 to 5 years | 100% |
| 5 to 10 years | 200% |
| More than 10 years | 300% |
The premium follows the property, not the owner, so buying an already-empty house does not restart the clock. If it becomes someone’s main home the premium stops, but if it empties again within six weeks the premium restarts immediately. Only after more than six weeks of occupation does the 12-month clock reset.
A 50% discount, and no premium, applies to a second home tied to your job under an employment contract, or provided to armed forces personnel by the MOD (council tax premiums).
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