{"id":495421,"date":"2026-03-26T00:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/495421\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T00:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:22:13","slug":"all-the-bills-going-up-in-april-as-households-face-over-200-in-extra-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/495421\/","title":{"rendered":"All the bills going up in April as households face over \u00a3200 in extra costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n

Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n

April is just a week away, meaning the start of a new financial year and a slate of bill rises<\/a> for households to prepare for.<\/p>\n

Often dubbed \u201cawful April\u201d by money experts, the yearly bill rise is likely to feel particularly ill-timed for many, as conflict in the Middle East threatens to push up the UK\u2019s cost of living in the near future.<\/p>\n

Council tax<\/a> and water bills will both be rising by more than usual in 2026, as households face an average \u00a3214 increase in essential bills in 2026\/27, data from Uswitch has revealed.<\/p>\n

\"CouncilCouncil tax and water bills will both be rising by more than usual in 2026 (PA)<\/p>\n

In better news, most benefits, the state pension and the minimum wage will also be rising in April, helping millions of households<\/a>. Meanwhile, wages continue to rise only modestly, recording the slowest growth in five years in the November to January period, according to official data.<\/p>\n

Around 62 per cent of Brits now fear they cannot cover the rising costs on their current income, Uswitch researchers found, as household incomes struggle to keep pace with the scale of price rises.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a breakdown of some of the key household bills<\/a> rising this year:<\/p>\n

Council tax \u2013 up \u00a3109<\/p>\n

The majority of councils in England have announced a council tax<\/a> increase of 4.99 per cent \u2013 the maximum allowed without government permission. The average rise will equate to \u00a3109 per household, Uswitch analysis has found.<\/p>\n

Seven councils in England have been allowed to raise their rate by more than this in April. Shropshire, Worcestershire, and North Somerset have been permitted the highest, each at 8.99 per cent.<\/p>\n

Warring, Trafford, and Windsor and Maidenhead will raise theirs by 7.49 per cent, while Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have been permitted 6.74 per cent.<\/p>\n

Water bills \u2013 up \u00a332.40<\/p>\n

\"Trading<\/p>\n

Get a free fractional share worth up to \u00a3100.
Capital at risk.<\/p>\n

Terms and conditions apply.<\/p>\n

Go to website<\/a><\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

\"Trading<\/p>\n

Get a free fractional share worth up to \u00a3100.
Capital at risk.<\/p>\n

Terms and conditions apply.<\/p>\n

Go to website<\/a><\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Average household water bills are set to rise by \u00a333 annually, a hike two percentage points above inflation, sparking renewed public anger over persistent sewage pollution.<\/p>\n

Seeing the biggest increase in cash terms are customers of United Utilities, which serves the northwest, at an average \u00a357. This is followed by Southern Water (up \u00a355), Hafren Dyfrdwy (up \u00a354) and Severn Trent Water (up \u00a352).<\/p>\n

Water UK says the increase will fund a \u00a320bn investment between 2026\/27, aimed at securing supplies and halting discharges into rivers and seas.<\/p>\n

Licence fee \u2013 up \u00a35.50<\/p>\n

From April, the TV licence fee will rise from \u00a3174.50 to \u00a3180 \u2013 an increase of \u00a35.50. The change will add an extra 46p a month onto the licence fee, and is larger than last year\u2019s rise of \u00a35.<\/p>\n

The TV licence is a legal permit that must be acquired to watch or record live programmes on any device. This can either be through purchase or given free to those receiving pension credit and 75 years or older. <\/p>\n

Broadband and mobile \u2013 up \u00a367.20<\/p>\n

Most broadband and mobile providers will be increasing monthly bills from April, in some cases by as much as \u00a34. Combined, rises will cost households<\/a> an average of \u00a367.20 extra a year, Uswitch estimates.<\/p>\n

However, unlike many other household expenses, many households can take action now to avoid the steepest rises. An estimated 14 million people are out of contract on their mobile deal, and an estimated 7 million on their broadband. This means they won\u2019t face a penalty for leaving their provider, or seeking a better deal with them \u2013\u00a0and in most cases it would pay to do so. <\/p>\n

For those who are happy with their mobile device, Sim-only deals can be found for as little as \u00a34 a month. Money<\/a> expert Martin Lewis has also advised that out-of-contract broadband customers could \u201cdouble the speed and halve the price\u201d of their contracts for savings of up to \u00a3500 a year.<\/p>\n

\"MoneyMoney expert Martin Lewis has also advised that out-of-contract broadband customers could \u2018double the speed and halve the price\u2019 of their contracts for savings of up to \u00a3500 a year (BBC)<\/p>\n

Energy bills \u2013 down \u00a3117 (for now)<\/p>\n

Ofgem\u2019s energy price cap will drop to \u00a31,641 for 1 April to 31 June 2026 \u2013 decreasing by around 7 per cent, or \u00a3117. The reduction aligns with chancellor Rachel Reeves\u2019 recent pledge that \u00a3150 would be cut from the average household bill.<\/p>\n

The energy price cap is the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge those on a standard variable tariff for each unit of energy, which includes most households. It is expressed as an annual bill for an average home.<\/p>\n

The energy regulator\u2019s decision will come as welcome news to bill payers, marking one of the few reductions amongst a slate of bill rises. Combined with warmer spring weather, energy costs should be less of a concern in the short term.<\/p>\n

In the longer term, the outlook is less positive.<\/p>\n

Respected energy consultancy Cornwall Insight has predicted the July price cap will rise by a massive \u00a3332 from July, up to \u00a31,973, as conflict in the Middle East threatens to push up costs.<\/p>\n

This would bring the price cap to the highest rate since July 2023, which came after the record rises seen in the first year of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The independent forecast has been called \u201chighly speculative\u201d by a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).<\/p>\n

For the latest cost of living advice, visit The Independent\u2019s regularly updated guide<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[84,1294,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-495421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}