Council tax payers in a typical household in many West London boroughs may feel their pockets become ever so slightly heavier, as council tax rates freeze for the 2016/17 financial year.

Although councillors have announced a council tax rise in the borough of Brent, of approximately 45p a week extra, councils in Ealing, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hillingdon have all announced council tax freezes this year - part of just a handful in The UK councils not raising taxes.

Thanks to a reduction in the Mayor of London's share of the council tax, residents living in these areas of west London will actually pay slightly LESS in 2016/17.

What does this mean for me?

In Hounslow, The Mayor of London's slice of the bill - which pays for services like transport and policing - is set to fall by £19 to £276, meaning a typical household in the borough with a Band D property will now pay £1355.77 per year.

Residents in larger houses (Bands A-C) will save slightly more money as their tax is higher, while those in Bands E and above will save slightly less.

In Ealing, council tax has been frozen at £1,354.93 from April 2016 to March 2017, meaning Band D residents here will also save £19 over the £12 months, as will those in Hammersmith & Fulham, where council tax was frozen at £1,003.81 on Wednesday, and in Hillingdon, where the Band D rate is frozen at £1,112.93.

So if you're a lucky resident of one of these boroughs, the council tax fall means that you have some extra money to play with, and although it may not sound like much, you might be surprised at what you could afford instead.

Let's see what you could spend those pennies on!

A free meal with your council tax savings! Mmmm....

For a saving of £19 per year, you could buy...

  • A ticket to the theatre (with enough to spare for an ice-cream in the interval!) - Tickets for Goodnight Mr. Tom at Richmond Theatre are selling from £14.40.

  • Two off-peak adult tickets to see Deadpool at Vue Cinema in Acton - well, you'd be 58p short, but you're bound to have that lying around.

  • An indulgent meal out for one - our food reviewer's trip to The Preston Ember Inn in Wembley cost £19.38 per person.

  • 12.6 London bus trips (using pay-as-you-go contactless payment or Oyster card) - well, every little helps!

  • 3.1 months of standard UK Netflix service (£5.99 per month)

  • One upgraded ticket to London's famous Ice Bar - upgraded tickets cost from £18 to £21 and includes an ice glass of Champagne or a Champagne-based cocktail, as well as entry.

  • 380 5p plastic carrier bags... Or you could just remember to fish out the ones crammed under the sink.

Brent residents' council tax rise

Meanwhile, in Brent, residents will be paying an extra £23.40 a year due to a council tax rise of 3.99%.

If you live in a Band D house there, you can say goodbye to your cheeky Starbucks treats, as that amount could pay for NINE Grande Café Lattes.

That £23.40 a year also equates to...*

  • 39 Cadbury Dairy Milk bars
  • 93.6 Cadbury Freddo bars
  • 46.8 tins of Whiskas cat food
  • Around three quarters (72%) of a bottle of Moet And Chandon Brut Champagne
  • Or a whopping 195 bananas!

*prices all from Tesco online.

Noooo! You could have bought 93.6 Freddos with the money you'll instead have to fork out on council tax in Brent
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