Data study
UK's worst-rated councils named as three in four Google reviews give one star
Three in four Google reviews of UK councils (76%) give a single star, and no council in the country averages four stars, a study of 24,843 reviews has found. Tower Hamlets Council in east London has the lowest rating, at 1.11 stars out of five.
Data collected
Source: SEO Backlinks, https://seobacklinks.com/
Key findings
Second lowest, on 1.17, is West Oxfordshire District Council, which refused Jeremy Clarkson's plan for a restaurant on his farm. It received 80 one-star reviews in the seven weeks after the series of Clarkson's Farm showing that decision was released on 10 February 2023.
Seven of the 10 lowest-rated councils are London boroughs. The average council scores 1.88 stars out of five. Of the 108, 78 score below two stars and only four score three or more.
The most common complaint is not about a decision a council made. At eight of the 10 lowest-rated councils, more of the recent reviews that gave a reason were about not being able to get through, by phone or by email, than about anything else.
That was the subject of 160 of the 401 written reviews we read for those eight councils, or two in five. At the other two, West Oxfordshire and Wigan, the most common subject is a planning row.
Councils rarely answer. Of the 600 most recent reviews of the 10 lowest-rated councils, one had a reply from the council.
Chart
Worst and best 10 at a glance
Use this chart. It is free to use with a link to this page. Download the chart as a PNG.
Method
How we did it
We checked the main Google Maps listing of each of the UK's 382 councils on 8 October 2026, meaning the listing for the council's headquarters or main customer service centre. Listings for a single department such as bins, parking or registrars were left out, as were depots and listings for a town hall or guildhall as a venue.
A council needed at least 100 reviews on its main listing to be ranked. That gave 108 councils and 24,843 reviews in all.
Each council is ranked on its exact average star rating, worked out from its count of one, two, three, four and five-star reviews rather than the rounded score Google displays, so councils showing the same rounded rating on Google can still be put in order.
For the 10 lowest-rated councils, we also read the 60 most recent reviews of each as they stood on 8 October 2026, 600 reviews in all, to see what people were complaining about.
National rankings
The lowest and highest rated 10 in the UK
The 10 lowest-rated councils in the UK
| Rank | Council | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tower Hamlets CouncilLondon101 reviews | 1.11 | 101 |
| 2 | West Oxfordshire District Council203 reviews | 1.17 | 203 |
| 3 | Newham CouncilLondon362 reviews | 1.25 | 362 |
| 4 | Harrow CouncilLondon871 reviews | 1.26 | 871 |
| 5 | Bromley CouncilLondon239 reviews | 1.30 | 239 |
| 6 | London Borough of Bexley113 reviews | 1.32 | 113 |
| 7 | Ealing CouncilLondon1,322 reviews | 1.36 | 1,322 |
| 8 | Haringey CouncilLondon641 reviews | 1.37 | 641 |
| 9 | Bury CouncilGreater Manchester193 reviews | 1.37 | 193 |
| 10 | Wigan CouncilGreater Manchester271 reviews | 1.39 | 271 |
The 10 highest-rated councils in the UK
| Rank | Council | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City Council642 reviews | 3.67 | 642 |
| 2 | Hastings Borough Council114 reviews | 3.56 | 114 |
| 3 | Rochdale Borough Council243 reviews | 3.44 | 243 |
| 4 | Gravesham Borough CouncilKent143 reviews | 3.21 | 143 |
| 5 | Birmingham City Council247 reviews | 2.95 | 247 |
| 6 | Nottingham City Council208 reviews | 2.90 | 208 |
| 7 | Westminster City Council145 reviews | 2.70 | 145 |
| 8 | Portsmouth City Council126 reviews | 2.61 | 126 |
| 9 | Gateshead Council148 reviews | 2.58 | 148 |
| 10 | Coventry City Council134 reviews | 2.57 | 134 |
Averages are rounded to two decimal places. Where two councils show the same figure, the order comes from the unrounded average.
Council ranking
All 108 councils, highest to lowest rated
Every council in the ranking with its exact Google average, rounded to two decimal places, and the number of reviews on its main listing. Rank 1 is the highest rated and rank 108 the lowest rated.
| Rank | Council | Reviews | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City Council642 reviews | 642 | 3.67 |
| 2 | Hastings Borough Council114 reviews | 114 | 3.56 |
| 3 | Rochdale Borough Council243 reviews | 243 | 3.44 |
| 4 | Gravesham Borough Council143 reviews | 143 | 3.21 |
| 5 | Birmingham City Council247 reviews | 247 | 2.95 |
| 6 | Nottingham City Council208 reviews | 208 | 2.90 |
| 7 | Westminster City Council145 reviews | 145 | 2.70 |
| 8 | Portsmouth City Council126 reviews | 126 | 2.61 |
| 9 | Gateshead Council148 reviews | 148 | 2.58 |
| 10 | Coventry City Council134 reviews | 134 | 2.57 |
| 11 | Royal Borough of Greenwich136 reviews | 136 | 2.56 |
| 12 | Wandsworth Council379 reviews | 379 | 2.50 |
| 13 | Hackney Council342 reviews | 342 | 2.43 |
| 14 | Doncaster Council195 reviews | 195 | 2.37 |
| 15 | Bristol City Council184 reviews | 184 | 2.36 |
| 16 | North Northamptonshire Council119 reviews | 119 | 2.35 |
| 17 | Southend-on-Sea City Council127 reviews | 127 | 2.31 |
| 18 | Milton Keynes City Council112 reviews | 112 | 2.22 |
| 19 | London Borough of Hounslow375 reviews | 375 | 2.17 |
| 20 | London Borough of Richmond upon Thames105 reviews | 105 | 2.12 |
| 21 | St Albans City & District Council133 reviews | 133 | 2.10 |
| 22 | Dacorum Borough Council133 reviews | 133 | 2.09 |
| 23 | Shropshire Council106 reviews | 106 | 2.08 |
| 24 | Wokingham Borough Council112 reviews | 112 | 2.07 |
| 25 | Redbridge London Borough Council301 reviews | 301 | 2.07 |
| 26 | Peterborough City Council117 reviews | 117 | 2.07 |
| 27 | Wiltshire Council174 reviews | 174 | 2.05 |
| 28 | London Borough of Hillingdon148 reviews | 148 | 2.01 |
| 29 | Leicester City Council166 reviews | 166 | 2.01 |
| 30 | City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council112 reviews | 112 | 2.00 |
| 31 | West Northamptonshire Council230 reviews | 230 | 1.97 |
| 32 | Broxbourne Borough Council140 reviews | 140 | 1.96 |
| 33 | North Tyneside Council156 reviews | 156 | 1.94 |
| 34 | Pembrokeshire County Council116 reviews | 116 | 1.93 |
| 35 | Mansfield District Council101 reviews | 101 | 1.93 |
| 36 | South Gloucestershire Council116 reviews | 116 | 1.92 |
| 37 | City of York Council162 reviews | 162 | 1.90 |
| 38 | Leeds City Council153 reviews | 153 | 1.90 |
| 39 | Northumberland County Council172 reviews | 172 | 1.89 |
| 40 | Oxford City Council113 reviews | 113 | 1.88 |
| 41 | City of Wolverhampton Council357 reviews | 357 | 1.88 |
| 42 | Salford City Council174 reviews | 174 | 1.88 |
| 43 | Preston City Council168 reviews | 168 | 1.87 |
| 44 | Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council189 reviews | 189 | 1.86 |
| 45 | Sheffield City Council222 reviews | 222 | 1.84 |
| 46 | Brent Council662 reviews | 662 | 1.84 |
| 47 | Vale of Glamorgan Council143 reviews | 143 | 1.83 |
| 48 | Newcastle City Council182 reviews | 182 | 1.82 |
| 49 | Derby City Council280 reviews | 280 | 1.80 |
| 50 | Sutton Council151 reviews | 151 | 1.79 |
| 51 | Basildon Borough Council164 reviews | 164 | 1.79 |
| 52 | Bridgend County Borough Council121 reviews | 121 | 1.79 |
| 53 | St Helens Borough Council149 reviews | 149 | 1.78 |
| 54 | Bedford Borough Council102 reviews | 102 | 1.77 |
| 55 | Reading Borough Council425 reviews | 425 | 1.77 |
| 56 | Havant Borough Council124 reviews | 124 | 1.77 |
| 57 | Stroud District Council101 reviews | 101 | 1.76 |
| 58 | North Herts Council100 reviews | 100 | 1.76 |
| 59 | Thanet District Council183 reviews | 183 | 1.76 |
| 60 | Rugby Borough Council127 reviews | 127 | 1.75 |
| 61 | Herefordshire Council114 reviews | 114 | 1.75 |
| 62 | Newport City Council109 reviews | 109 | 1.74 |
| 63 | Hammersmith and Fulham Council291 reviews | 291 | 1.73 |
| 64 | Lewisham Council137 reviews | 137 | 1.72 |
| 65 | Sandwell Council350 reviews | 350 | 1.72 |
| 66 | Canterbury City Council108 reviews | 108 | 1.68 |
| 67 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council205 reviews | 205 | 1.67 |
| 68 | Lambeth Council275 reviews | 275 | 1.67 |
| 69 | Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council163 reviews | 163 | 1.66 |
| 70 | Gloucester City Council103 reviews | 103 | 1.66 |
| 71 | Norwich City Council334 reviews | 334 | 1.66 |
| 72 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council155 reviews | 155 | 1.65 |
| 73 | Eastbourne Borough Council134 reviews | 134 | 1.64 |
| 74 | Glasgow City Council122 reviews | 122 | 1.64 |
| 75 | North Somerset Council125 reviews | 125 | 1.63 |
| 76 | Eastleigh Borough Council105 reviews | 105 | 1.63 |
| 77 | Southampton City Council332 reviews | 332 | 1.63 |
| 78 | Medway Council240 reviews | 240 | 1.62 |
| 79 | Kingston Council311 reviews | 311 | 1.61 |
| 80 | Islington Council460 reviews | 460 | 1.60 |
| 81 | Luton Council256 reviews | 256 | 1.59 |
| 82 | Waltham Forest Council564 reviews | 564 | 1.59 |
| 83 | Camden Council249 reviews | 249 | 1.59 |
| 84 | Pendle Borough Council125 reviews | 125 | 1.57 |
| 85 | Thurrock Council152 reviews | 152 | 1.55 |
| 86 | Brighton & Hove City Council137 reviews | 137 | 1.53 |
| 87 | Croydon Council496 reviews | 496 | 1.52 |
| 88 | Southwark Council401 reviews | 401 | 1.52 |
| 89 | Guildford Borough Council134 reviews | 134 | 1.51 |
| 90 | Barnet Council458 reviews | 458 | 1.50 |
| 91 | Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council116 reviews | 116 | 1.50 |
| 92 | Stoke-on-Trent City Council132 reviews | 132 | 1.48 |
| 93 | Merton Council334 reviews | 334 | 1.47 |
| 94 | Swindon Borough Council258 reviews | 258 | 1.45 |
| 95 | Slough Borough Council345 reviews | 345 | 1.43 |
| 96 | Enfield Council665 reviews | 665 | 1.43 |
| 97 | Liverpool City Council107 reviews | 107 | 1.41 |
| 98 | Maidstone Borough Council116 reviews | 116 | 1.41 |
| 99 | Wigan Council271 reviews | 271 | 1.39 |
| 100 | Bury Council193 reviews | 193 | 1.37 |
| 101 | Haringey Council641 reviews | 641 | 1.37 |
| 102 | Ealing Council1,322 reviews | 1,322 | 1.36 |
| 103 | London Borough of Bexley113 reviews | 113 | 1.32 |
| 104 | Bromley Council239 reviews | 239 | 1.30 |
| 105 | Harrow Council871 reviews | 871 | 1.26 |
| 106 | Newham Council362 reviews | 362 | 1.25 |
| 107 | West Oxfordshire District Council203 reviews | 203 | 1.17 |
| 108 | Tower Hamlets Council101 reviews | 101 | 1.11 |
Using this research
Citing these figures
You're welcome to quote or republish any figure on this page. Please credit SEO Backlinks and link to this page so readers can see the full method and rankings.
How to cite
SEO Backlinks, "The best and worst rated councils in the UK", data collected October 8, 2026: https://seobacklinks.com/
This study comes from SEO Backlinks, which runs data-led digital PR campaigns built on public data like Google reviews.