Band D runs from £2,285.33 in Exbury and Lepe to £2,477.18 in Totton and Eling. The full A to H table for every parish, what rose, and who bills you from 2028.
There is no single New Forest council tax bill. The district has 37 active town and parish councils, each setting its own precept, so what a band D house pays depends on which parish it sits in.
The gap is not trivial. Band D runs from £2,285.33 in Exbury and Lepe to £2,477.18 in Totton and Eling, a difference of £191.85 a year for identical houses 20 miles apart.
New Forest District Council publishes the full table, but only inside a PDF. Here it is as a table you can read, along with what changed this year and the reorganisation that will end the district council setting this charge at all. Every figure was checked on 1 September 2026 against the council’s own Council Tax for Town and Parish Councils 2026-27 and the report that set it.
What makes up the bill
Five bodies take a share. For a band D property on the district average, the 2026/27 split is:
| Body | Band D | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire County Council | £1,690.11 | 69.8% | up £80.28, 4.99% |
| Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire | £290.46 | 12.0% | up £15.00, 5.45% |
| New Forest District Council | £211.92 | 8.8% | up £6.15, 2.99% |
| Town and parish councils, average | £134.43 | 5.6% | up £9.96, 8.00% |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service | £92.84 | 3.8% | up £5.00, 5.69% |
| Total, district average | £2,419.76 | 100% | up £116.39, 5.05% |
Two things stand out. The district council put its share up least, by 2.99%, and it is the smallest of the four fixed precepts. Its leader, Cllr Jill Cleary, made the point at the budget meeting that the council keeps about 9p of every pound it collects.
The parish councils put theirs up most, by 8% on average. That average hides a very wide range, covered below.
Of Hampshire’s 4.99%, two percentage points are the adult social care precept. The county says each 1% raises £8.5 million, so the social care element brings in £17 million, against an extra 540 people a year entering council-funded care at a minimum £52,000 each.
The figures were set at full council on 26 February 2026.
The full band A to H table, by parish
Every charge below is the total annual bill, all five bodies included. Sorted by band D, cheapest first.
| Parish | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exbury & Lepe | £1,523.55 | £1,777.48 | £2,031.40 | £2,285.33 | £2,793.18 | £3,301.03 | £3,808.88 | £4,570.66 |
| Copythorne | £1,539.83 | £1,796.46 | £2,053.10 | £2,309.74 | £2,823.02 | £3,336.29 | £3,849.57 | £4,619.48 |
| Whitsbury | £1,542.16 | £1,799.19 | £2,056.21 | £2,313.24 | £2,827.29 | £3,341.35 | £3,855.40 | £4,626.48 |
| Breamore | £1,543.53 | £1,800.79 | £2,058.04 | £2,315.30 | £2,829.81 | £3,344.32 | £3,858.83 | £4,630.60 |
| Hyde | £1,543.61 | £1,800.87 | £2,058.14 | £2,315.41 | £2,829.95 | £3,344.48 | £3,859.02 | £4,630.82 |
| Burley | £1,544.68 | £1,802.13 | £2,059.57 | £2,317.02 | £2,831.91 | £3,346.81 | £3,861.70 | £4,634.04 |
| Bramshaw | £1,545.30 | £1,802.85 | £2,060.40 | £2,317.95 | £2,833.05 | £3,348.15 | £3,863.25 | £4,635.90 |
| Boldre | £1,547.57 | £1,805.50 | £2,063.43 | £2,321.36 | £2,837.22 | £3,353.08 | £3,868.93 | £4,642.72 |
| Sandleheath | £1,547.77 | £1,805.74 | £2,063.70 | £2,321.66 | £2,837.58 | £3,353.51 | £3,869.43 | £4,643.32 |
| Beaulieu | £1,551.05 | £1,809.55 | £2,068.06 | £2,326.57 | £2,843.59 | £3,360.60 | £3,877.62 | £4,653.14 |
| Woodgreen | £1,552.26 | £1,810.97 | £2,069.68 | £2,328.39 | £2,845.81 | £3,363.23 | £3,880.65 | £4,656.78 |
| Denny Lodge | £1,552.74 | £1,811.53 | £2,070.32 | £2,329.11 | £2,846.69 | £3,364.27 | £3,881.85 | £4,658.22 |
| Minstead | £1,553.57 | £1,812.49 | £2,071.42 | £2,330.35 | £2,848.21 | £3,366.06 | £3,883.92 | £4,660.70 |
| East Boldre | £1,554.18 | £1,813.21 | £2,072.24 | £2,331.27 | £2,849.33 | £3,367.39 | £3,885.45 | £4,662.54 |
| Netley Marsh | £1,555.88 | £1,815.19 | £2,074.51 | £2,333.82 | £2,852.45 | £3,371.07 | £3,889.70 | £4,667.64 |
| Damerham | £1,556.55 | £1,815.98 | £2,075.40 | £2,334.83 | £2,853.68 | £3,372.53 | £3,891.38 | £4,669.66 |
| Ellingham, Harbridge & Ibsley | £1,560.48 | £1,820.56 | £2,080.64 | £2,340.72 | £2,860.88 | £3,381.04 | £3,901.20 | £4,681.44 |
| Hale | £1,562.23 | £1,822.61 | £2,082.98 | £2,343.35 | £2,864.09 | £3,384.84 | £3,905.58 | £4,686.70 |
| Martin | £1,563.35 | £1,823.91 | £2,084.47 | £2,345.03 | £2,866.15 | £3,387.27 | £3,908.38 | £4,690.06 |
| Godshill | £1,563.47 | £1,824.04 | £2,084.62 | £2,345.20 | £2,866.36 | £3,387.51 | £3,908.67 | £4,690.40 |
| Ashurst & Colbury | £1,567.26 | £1,828.47 | £2,089.68 | £2,350.89 | £2,873.31 | £3,395.73 | £3,918.15 | £4,701.78 |
| Sway | £1,568.08 | £1,829.43 | £2,090.77 | £2,352.12 | £2,874.81 | £3,397.51 | £3,920.20 | £4,704.24 |
| Hordle | £1,578.32 | £1,841.37 | £2,104.43 | £2,367.48 | £2,893.59 | £3,419.69 | £3,945.80 | £4,734.96 |
| Lyndhurst | £1,579.03 | £1,842.21 | £2,105.38 | £2,368.55 | £2,894.89 | £3,421.24 | £3,947.58 | £4,737.10 |
| Rockbourne | £1,583.38 | £1,847.28 | £2,111.17 | £2,375.07 | £2,902.86 | £3,430.66 | £3,958.45 | £4,750.14 |
| Milford-on-Sea | £1,586.47 | £1,850.88 | £2,115.29 | £2,379.70 | £2,908.52 | £3,437.34 | £3,966.17 | £4,759.40 |
| Sopley | £1,587.25 | £1,851.80 | £2,116.34 | £2,380.88 | £2,909.96 | £3,439.05 | £3,968.13 | £4,761.76 |
| Brockenhurst | £1,595.43 | £1,861.34 | £2,127.24 | £2,393.15 | £2,924.96 | £3,456.77 | £3,988.58 | £4,786.30 |
| Bransgore | £1,605.41 | £1,872.98 | £2,140.55 | £2,408.12 | £2,943.26 | £3,478.40 | £4,013.53 | £4,816.24 |
| Ringwood | £1,613.39 | £1,882.29 | £2,151.19 | £2,420.09 | £2,957.89 | £3,495.69 | £4,033.48 | £4,840.18 |
| New Milton | £1,624.03 | £1,894.71 | £2,165.38 | £2,436.05 | £2,977.39 | £3,518.74 | £4,060.08 | £4,872.10 |
| Lymington & Pennington | £1,624.59 | £1,895.36 | £2,166.12 | £2,436.89 | £2,978.42 | £3,519.95 | £4,061.48 | £4,873.78 |
| Fordingbridge | £1,632.79 | £1,904.93 | £2,177.06 | £2,449.19 | £2,993.45 | £3,537.72 | £4,081.98 | £4,898.38 |
| Hythe & Dibden | £1,636.76 | £1,909.55 | £2,182.35 | £2,455.14 | £3,000.73 | £3,546.31 | £4,091.90 | £4,910.28 |
| Marchwood | £1,640.23 | £1,913.60 | £2,186.97 | £2,460.34 | £3,007.08 | £3,553.82 | £4,100.57 | £4,920.68 |
| Fawley | £1,641.37 | £1,914.93 | £2,188.49 | £2,462.05 | £3,009.17 | £3,556.29 | £4,103.42 | £4,924.10 |
| Totton & Eling | £1,651.45 | £1,926.70 | £2,201.94 | £2,477.18 | £3,027.66 | £3,578.15 | £4,128.63 | £4,954.36 |
Exbury and Lepe raises no parish precept at all. Its £2,285.33 is therefore the bare county, police, fire and district bill that everyone in the district pays before their parish adds anything.
Which parishes put their precept up most
The district average parish charge rose 8%. Across the 37 parishes the range is far wider, and two actually cut their band D parish charge.
Comparing this year’s band D parish element with last year’s:
| Parish | Parish share 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brockenhurst | £77.16 | £107.82 | up 39.7% |
| Whitsbury | £20.54 | £27.91 | up 35.9% |
| Ellingham, Harbridge & Ibsley | £43.80 | £55.39 | up 26.5% |
| Milford-on-Sea | £78.97 | £94.37 | up 19.5% |
| Beaulieu | £35.95 | £41.24 | up 14.7% |
| Fordingbridge | £143.97 | £163.86 | up 13.8% |
| Hyde | £30.72 | £30.08 | down 2.1% |
| Rockbourne | £90.60 | £89.74 | down 0.9% |
Brockenhurst is the standout. Its total precept went from £151,992 to £218,049, and the council’s own supporting document shows why: budgeted income fell from £59,917 to £30,200, and a £27,467 contribution from reserves that propped up last year’s budget was not repeated. Spending on “other services” rose too, from £198,909 to £235,249, but the disappearing reserves transfer accounts for most of the jump.
Across the district, parish and town councils will raise £9,988,752 in 2026/27, up from £9,130,576. Totton and Eling alone accounts for £1,839,351 of it.
Because a parish’s precept is divided across its own tax base, a rise in the total raised is not the same as a rise in your bill. Brockenhurst’s precept rose 43.5% while its band D parish charge rose 39.7%.
From April 2028, the New Forest is split between two councils
This is the last stretch of New Forest District Council setting a council tax.
In March 2026 the government confirmed a five-unitary model for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. From April 2028, New Forest district will be served by two new councils rather than one:
- South West Hampshire Council will take the Waterside parishes: Totton and Eling, Marchwood, Hythe and Dibden, and Fawley
- Mid Hampshire Council will take the rest of the district
Those four Waterside parishes are, as it happens, the four most expensive band D areas in the district today.
The district council opposed the split, sought two sets of independent legal advice including a King’s Counsel opinion, and on 3 June 2026 dropped a judicial review after being told it had no realistic prospect of success. Cllr Cleary said the council had “from the start opposed the option now selected by government”.
Hampshire County Council also goes, replaced along with the other 14 councils across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
How to check and challenge your band
Bands come from the Valuation Office Agency, not the council, and are based on what the property was worth on 1 April 1991:
| 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 yours on GOV.UK. You can challenge freely if you have been the taxpayer for less than six months, or if the band changed in the last six months. Otherwise you need strong supporting evidence, such as similar nearby properties in a lower band.
Two warnings from the council worth taking seriously. The Valuation Office is currently taking up to 12 months to decide a band challenge, and up to six months to decide whether to delete a derelict property from the list. Keep paying while you wait.
Improving your house does not change the band. A review is only triggered when it is sold, or a lease of more than seven years is granted, so check the improvement indicator on the Valuation Office listing before you buy. The Valuation Office helpline is 03000 501501.
Discounts, and what an empty house costs
- Single person: 25% off if you live alone or with people who are disregarded
- Disabled band reduction, if the property has been adapted for someone with a permanent disability
- Severe mental impairment, students, and various exemptions for unoccupied properties
Council tax support is means tested. Working age applicants need savings under £6,000 unless they receive a disability benefit; pension age applicants under £16,000 unless they get Guaranteed Pension Credit. Even with a full award, working age claimants must pay at least 10% of the bill unless they receive a disability benefit. The council says it processes a claim in 12 days on average. There is also an Exceptional Hardship Payment for people who still cannot pay, granted at the council’s discretion.
Empty and second homes are charged hard here, which matters in a district with this much holiday property:
| Situation | Charge |
|---|---|
| Empty and substantially unfurnished | 100% discount for one month only |
| Furnished but nobody’s main residence, a second or holiday home | Full charge plus a 100% premium, since 1 April 2025 |
| Empty and unfurnished over 1 year | Full charge plus 100% premium |
| Empty and unfurnished over 5 years | Full charge plus 200% premium |
| Empty and unfurnished over 10 years | Full charge plus 300% premium |
There are exceptions to the empty homes premium, each lasting up to 12 months: actively marketed for sale or let, recently granted probate, or undergoing major structural work. The council states it has no discretion to waive, reduce or delay the premium outside those listed cases.
Council tax enquiries go to 01590 646111.
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