Annual billing information

Supplementary information for your Council Tax bill 2026-2027.

Council Tax information 2026 to 2027

The Guide to Council Tax and Business Rates (pdf, 2.8 MB) outlines the charges and gives further detail on expenditure and how services are funded.

Read the Leader's message and other Council Tax information.

Council Tax Reduction

Council Tax Reduction is to help people who are on a low income to pay part or all of their Council Tax. Find out more and if you are eligible for Council Tax Reduction.

Cost of living support

Visit our Cost of Living Hub for information on available grants, reducing household bills, accessing food support and where to find your nearest Community Space.

The Cost of living support calculator takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and will ask you information about your income and household. Once complete, it will tell you which schemes, benefits or support you are entitled to

Helpful contacts:

• Thinking Works - call 0800 118 2327, text 07928 394 482 or email enquiries@thinkingworks.co.uk 
• South West London Energy Advice Partnership - call 0800 086 2706 or email info@swleap.org.uk 
• StepChange Debt Charity - call 0800 138 1111 or visit their website for the Debt Remedy service
• Citizens Advice Richmond - call 0808 278 7873
• South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust 24/7 mental health support line: Call 0800 028 8000
• Richmond Carers Centre - call 020 8867 2380 or email info@richmondcarers.org 

Food support

If you need help getting food, there are lots of options across the borough, including Richmond Foodbank and the Real Junk Food Project's pay as you feel surplus cafes.

May local elections

On Thursday 7 May 2026, Richmond upon Thames will go to the polls to vote for local councillors.

You must be registered if you want to vote in the local elections and the deadline is approaching fast. If you have not previously registered at your current address, you must do so.

Make sure you are registered

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 20 April. You can register online at GOV.UK.

Got a question? Visit the Elections pages where you can chat to us on web chat.

Remember your photo ID

You now need to show photo ID when voting in person at a polling station.

No ID? You can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

If you can't vote in person

Postal vote arrangements must be renewed every 3 years. The deadline to register is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April.

Visit GOV.UK to apply for a postal vote.

Help support local children

Give local children the best start in life by donating to the Richmond upon Thames Voluntary Fund. Over 18,500 children have been supported so far.

Visit the Richmond upon Thames Voluntary Fund page to find out more.

Recycle for Richmond

Thank you for recycling for Richmond - your efforts are making a real difference. Richmond upon Thames continues to be one of London’s top-performing recycling boroughs. By recycling correctly, you’re helping to reduce residual waste, protect the environment, and keep our borough clean and green

Changes to how you recycle

The government’s Simpler Recycling legislation comes into effect at the end of March 2026. These national changes are intended to make recycling more consistent across the country. Now you can recycle even more items in your mixed recycling container.

As part of the changes, cartons (e.g. Tetra Pak) now need to be flattened and placed in your black box/bin, not in your paper recycling.

New materials you can recycle

You can now recycle the following additional items in your black box/bin:

• Aluminium tubes - e.g. empty tomato paste tubes
• Plastic tubes - e.g. empty toothpaste tubes

This is in addition to the items you can already recycle in your black box/bin, e.g.

• Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays
• Glass bottles and jars
• Food tins, drink cans, empty aerosol cans
• Aluminium foil and trays (flattened, clean and free from food)

Check how to reduce, reuse or recycle various items.

Our ongoing commitment to you

Weekly collection services:

• Paper and cardboard recycling
• Mixed recycling
• Food recycling - we are continuing to roll our food waste collections for all properties this year
• Waste

Fortnightly collection services:

• Garden waste (subscribing households only)

Become a foster carer

Become a foster carer in Richmond and have your Council Tax reimbursed.

We provide:

• Extensive specialised training
• Individualised and team support
• Child allowance
• Fostering reward fee

You will be:

• Helping local children who cannot live with their families
• Giving back to your community

Respite foster care

Respite foster carers provide short breaks for children and their families, offering support and relief to foster families and birth families. Join our fostering community and make a difference to our families.

Contact

For more information:

• Email: fosteringenquiries@achievingforchildren.org.uk
• Phone: 020 8547 5355
• Website: Contact Achieving for Children

Stay connected

Our online services offer different ways for you to interact with us. Register for a Richmond Account to manage your Council Tax, parking and garden waste services online.

Want to keep up to date with what's going on in the borough? Sign up to email updates and choose the updates you want to receive from us on things like:

• Latest news
• Waste and recycling
• Roadworks
• Health and wellbeing
• Cost of living support
• Planning updates
• Parking updates
• Climate change
• Business support
• Richmond Card offers and more!