Bosses have hailed Rutland's 'financial prudence' after the county lost its unwanted position at the top of the council tax charts.

Rutland County Council is now eighth nationally – after the household levy was hiked by just two per cent this year.

Most local authorities raised the tax by around five per cent.

Finance chief Cllr Andrew Johnson (Lib Dem) told a full council meeting this week: "Because we took the decision to raise council tax by just two per cent we have changed the ranking of Rutland to eighth, from first.

"It's quite significant and it has seen Rutland featured in the national media in a positive light.

"Our council tax rise is probably one of the lowest in the country and that's down to the hard work of this council and its efforts to be as financially prudent as we have been."

The move represents a significant shift for the county – after several years where Rutland was regularly cited as the highest charging authority in England.

Rutland is among several areas to have recorded the smallest increase in council tax this year.

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The authority's Band D charge for 2026/27 is £2,263.33, rising by only £44.38 for the year.

Cllr Johnson, who is the portfolio holder for governance and resources, added: "We have worked tirelessly to keep our spending in check over the past three years, while the government strips away our national funding.

"Rutland remains above the national average for council tax, which is hardly surprising when you compare the cost of running a unitary authority in a rural area with the amount of national funding we receive.

"However, Rutland is no longer the outlier it once was among national rankings.

"Moving down the league table despite our financial pressures and lack of funding shows that our disciplined approach to budgeting is working.

"We will keep fighting for fairer funding, keep driving value for money and keep protecting the services our residents rely on."