Difference in council tax bands in Ebbw Vale and Cardiff.

That is what I believed when I bought my tiny flat in Ebbw Vale.

I chose carefully: Band A, a modest location near the railway, and easy maintenance.

I work as a tradesperson, usually 60 hours per week but sometimes more.

Since moving to the UK, I have never claimed a single benefit. I pay every payment, fix what breaks, and live properly — the kind of person this country used to think it valued.

Nonetheless, my annual council tax bill is about £1,600 for Band A in Ebbw Vale.

Meanwhile, Band A in Cardiff costs around £1,284 for 2025-26, which is more than £300 less than in the capital, where wages and services are much higher.

How can a valley town with fewer employment, lower wages, and limited transit cost more than a contemporary city with everything? It seems that the smaller the opportunity, the higher the bill.

This isn’t about every rural region; it’s about the system in Ebbw Vale, where honest, hard-working people are priced like millionaires but don’t get millionaire earnings.