Isle of Wight residents have been getting their increased council tax bills for the year ahead — with some Islanders in for an eyewatering surprise. The cost of every town, parish and community council precept has been revealed for Islanders, showing the different amounts residents are charged depending on where they live. A precept is an additional charge for residents, which goes towards the work and services provided by local town, parish and community councils. This is on top of other costs paid to the Isle of Wight Council, the police and fire services. Bills will rise an average of 11% across the Island, with the average Band D precept standing at £120.88 for the smaller councils. However, 25 of the 33 town, parish and community councils pay less than the average, with Newchurch residents, who have the lowest council precept on the Island, paying less than 1/6 of the average, at £19.38 a year. Other low-paying authorities include Rookley (£33.71), Fishbourne (£40.34), Northwood (£40.77) and Wroxall (£41.81). 5 areas on the Island will see a decrease in their payments or no increase at all — those in Chale and East Cowes will stay the same but those in Rookley, Fishbourne and Gurnard will see their bills shrink. Others won’t be so lucky with 28 towns and villages putting up their prices.
Lake residents are facing the biggest increase in council tax — with a 66% increase — to bolster Lake Parish Council’s reserves, and pay for new toilets and the repairs to the revetment toilets. This year’s hike is on top of an eyewatering 90% rise the year before. It means, from April, Band D residents will pay triple what they used to, previously paying £51 in 2022 and now facing a £163 bill. Totland Parish Council has also raised its price for residents by 60% so it can continue to support the village’s community post office, buying the Church Hall on The Broadway as well as other projects. Band D residents will see their bills increase from £104.60 to £167.58, the 5th most expensive on the Island. Freshwater residents will now join Sandonians in paying, on average, more than £200 a year for its parish and town council activities. The most expensive precept on the Island remains to be for Sandown taxpayers after it rose by 6.6%, now standing at an average £232.80. The increases will come into effect from 1st April.
ISLANDERS IN FOR AN EYEWATERING SURPRISE AS COUNCIL TAX BILLS LAND ON DOORSTEPS
- Trending
- Comments
- Latest
DRIVER FLEES AFTER CAR HITS SIGN AND SPINS IN VENTNOR
11th July 2026
3 CARS INVOLVED IN MAIN ROAD CRASH AT HALE COMMON
18th July 2026
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK
-
FIRE CREWS TACKLING MAJOR CONTAINER BLAZE ON OUTSKIRTS OF RYDE
-
MOTORCYCLIST TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CRASH WITH DOUBLE-DECKER BUS
-
ARMED POLICE AND HELICOPTER HUNT FOR MAN CARRYING SUSPECTED GUN IN RYDE
-
FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE BLAZE AS FLAMES SPREAD IN VENTNOR WOODLAND
-
DRIVER FLEES AFTER CAR HITS SIGN AND SPINS IN VENTNOR
.
Sign up to our daily newsletter
Sign up to the daily newsletter and to get our top Isle of Wight news stories sent to you inbox every day.

© 2024 Island Echo Ltd. (10015091) is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered address: Fortis House, Cothey Way, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 1QT. VAT: 358464857 (V5)
























































































Oh how I wish I could just up my bills to my customers and they would have to pay it!!! No they would go elsewhere as I do with my home and car insurance even have the choice of where I shop but no not only do we get our trousers pulled down buy the muppets at the council but the local council, the police and fire brigade (what does my income tax and business rates go towards?) seems the council want to tax the working man and women till they can’t afford to live, bet not one councillor or town councillor has not had a raise?? What would the council and government do if we all just gave up working and paying taxes? Just sat back and demanded a home, money to live on, a new telly and fridge freezer every 5 years?
The problem is we are born into a world with corrupt
Governments who employ corrupt organisations who take
all of our money from us.
The real criminals are controlling our lives, they
take taxes directly from our wages and sting us with many
other taxes, VAT etc etc etc
Some of these increases are ludicrous (66% in Lake). Increases in local precepts should be restricted to no more than 5% each year.
Pay more and get less, what a fantastically corrupt council we have here. Where does all this money go? Certainly not into any kind of essential services.
So much money is wasted on the mental, the shiftless, lazy, breeding low life, trying to educate simple beings who will never pay their way in life, and only be a drain on society from birth onwards
Give those who are useless to society the barest of existence, and then their would be more for those old age people who have worked and paid into the system.
As it is now, we have boatloads arriving daily who have never paid in, and at best will only pay in pennies but take THOUSANDS out, in health care, child care and education and all need a house which none can come with, costing all of us dearly. Also their numbers are endless, as they breed faster than we can ever build houses or find jobs for them, and their offspring
And what about the old age who HAVEN’T paid into the system? Fund them too?
Agreed, £2.2 million on bloody taxis for kids who can’t use a bus or the parents WON’T use the family car to get there own kids to school. Millions wasted on “mental” cases who are mostly sky high on drugs, stop the free handouts of methadone for the druggies to “recover” from addiction, they just sell it on anyways. Stop funding for so called “Wellbeing Centres” for the people who are just wanting to say “Anxiety” and get a nice benefit handout. I will stop now as the flak this will get will be enjoyable to watch.
The mental? Ah you mean people with mental health problems, autism, depression, schizophrenia. Yes they are all a drain aren’t they and they are definitely life choices – oh wait, they’re not.
So Totland ought to be able to announce a last minute rebate now as their local post office is no longer there to need subsidising.
Total waste of money to tax payers having town and parish councils adding a layer of bureaucracy that’s not needed , there is enough Councilors and soon 2 MPs that can make decisions etc. All IOW council has done is delegate out, soon Parish councils will delegate to another layer. It all worked ok years back. Like why we pay IOW council to do waste collection only for them to pay someone else!.
Parish councillors are unpaid and voluntary Freddie; their role is to keep their ear to the local ground and escalate local concerns to main council.
nope you are wrong. As always.
No, I’m not, as always. Perhaps you could fact check? Oh no, of course not.
There is a direct correlation between taxes rises and isolation.
If the island is not economically viable, it’s residents must pay more taxes for services.
If it become economically viable… in other words with a wealth generating fixed link… we’ll pay less tax.
The ferries are killing any hope of regeneration. WAKE UP!
Get a fixed link may bring more business but will also bring more crime, higher insurances and scum. However I agree the ferry companies are taking the piss. But then so are the gas, electric and water companies. And the councils, government and any government funded business.
The cost of a fixed link is not viable. WAKE UP!
To quote “Totland Parish Council has also raised its price for residents by 60% so it can continue to support the village’s community post office”
The increased charge comes in on April 1st…. the exact day the Post Office closes as it is no longer viable.
Sounds like a refund to residents is on the cards…
I stand corrected (I couldn’t edit my post) it is open until the end of April, not the 1st.
This article on Council Tax precepts says that the Totland precept rise of 60% is to enable the Parish Council to continue to support thr village’s community post office. The next Echo article states that the Post Office in Totland is to shut up shop from 30th April as a result of a drastic move by Royal Mail. So will there be a revision to the 60% precept increase. No prizes for guessing that the money will not come back to local taxpayers.
Sneaked that in on us last minute then ay? Sandown cops the biggest rise for sod all any better again, and can’t get along Morton if it rains hard for more than an hour. Low life wadering about doing as it likes and sod all police response. What a bloody rip off for piss poor services. Working famillies will be struggling again while the spongers get it all for free, and nothing done about the smack rats arsoning derelict properties and smashing up toilets and a nice fat cat pay rise for all the councillors unfit for purpose.
To add some perspective, According to official figures, the UK average council tax bill for a band D home is £2,171, Sandown’s works out nearly 25% higher at £2485.
According to the same figures, the average parish precept for a band D is £85.88, making Sandown’s £232.80 nearly triple the national average.
For that price living conditions, maintenance and services should be amongst the best in the country, not the worst.
On a positive note, the ongoing impact on local house prices due to the derelict buildings and crumbling infrastructure are almost certainly grounds for residents to demand to be dropped to a lower council tax band.
Scandalous charges.
What do we get for our money, Fcuk All!
And where are we supposed to get this extra money from? Many can’t afford to eat or heat their homes now. This will push many families over the edge.
With the local elections coming up we have to remove the garbage that have been running our island.
At nearly £2500 including the police and fire precepts, Sandown is now one of the most expensive places to live, not only on the island, but in the whole of the UK, despite having few services, crumbling roads and derelict buildings that earned it the title “turd town” in a recent YouTube video.
Could the Echo possibly get an explanation as to why last year’s massive hike has not only been retained, but increased yet further, and exactly what Sandown residents are getting to justify paying over £185 more than some other parts of the island?
The poorer the area, the higher the tax as there is more need for services. Westminster pay just £893 because the wealthier people have little need for Health and social care, education etc as they already have private. To even out the CT here, first we need to address the poverty, that’s not something which can be achieved from a local level it needs to be government policy, such as an end to zero-hours jobs.
You do talk a lot of crap don’t you.
No, fact checked truth. You?
East Cowes HAS gone up,not stayed the same!
The table above says that the precept is the same as last year, are you able to provide a different (correct) figure for the East Cowes precept?
Or are you referring to the other elements of the bill (IWCC, Police and Fire) which have all gone up again as usual.
How much more can people take of this crap…Just paying
More and more and getting less and less.
Time to stand up to these corrupt and useless money wasting morons.
I think a huge march on county hall is needed to voice the our options and let them know enough is enough
Im band C and its just over £2000 great thanks for that they given themselves some nice wage increases just to rub shit into our faces ..
I cannot see what the fuss is about, i am sure the whole island is happy to pay there council tax where
over 15% is used to cover staff pensions. Day light robbery
The Island is one place, council tax should be the same islandwide
All areas have the same bin Company collect their waste.
We all have the same Crap Hospital services etc etc
So why are some areas paying more than others
Scandalous corrupt Council is my guess
Vote these B’stards out!!
Council tax in Pompey is cheaper, also you don’t have to pay to
use toilets, and you can park free after 6pm daily.
That may be the case now, but for how long?
It’s only a matter of time before the easy money from toilet charges and parking become too much of a temptation. Especially once the local elections are out of the way, meaning the power to push back is five years away.
Oh, and Pompey is ideally suited to get lots of new (but misleadingly signed) bus lanes and box junctions soon when the new rules come in that let councils keep the fines from those little features.
I agree with Paul the other one.We the island should all pay the same,as we all get the same services, the council and parish councils are all the same corrupt.
Pity we don’t get value for money paid.
Apart from bins being emptied and lighting, I see nothing else from this council.
Soon the council tax will be like a monthly mortgage or rent, which residents will struggle to pay.