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Council tax in Cambridge
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in Cambridge for 2026-27 is £2,467 a year for a Band D home, £1,645 for Band A and £4,934 for the top band. That is £56 above the England average of £2,411. It ranks 122 of 296 billing areas in England. Figures are the council's own set rates.
Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Key figures
- £2,467Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£112 (+4.7%) vs 2025-26
- £1,645Band A, the lowest
- +£56Band D against the England average of £2,411 Above average
- 122 of 296Rank in England, highest first
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
What is the bill for each band?
| Band | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
Band ADetails for Band A | £1,644.68 | £137.06 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,918.79 | £159.90 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £2,192.91 | £182.74 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £2,467.02 | £205.59 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £3,015.25 | £251.27 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £3,563.47 | £296.96 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £4,111.70 | £342.64 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £4,934.04 | £411.17 |
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Who gets the money?
| Who receives it | Band D | Share |
|---|---|---|
CambridgeDetails for Cambridge | £239 | 10% |
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Other precepting bodiesDetails for Other precepting bodies | £2,228 | 90% |
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Each body sets its own precept and the council simply collects them together. The council that sends the bill keeps only its own share.
How does it compare?
Band D here is £56 above the England average, 122 of 296 councils from the highest.
How does Cambridge compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for Cambridge, each from the body that published it and set against the figure for England. See every council on the council map.
- Council tax rise this year4.7%Lower than the England figure of 4.9%
- Council tax per head£766Lower than the England figure of £796
- Ombudsman uphold rate100% (2 of 2)Higher than the England figure of 86%
- Reserves as a share of net spending436%Higher than the England figure of 50%
- Borrowing per home£4,898Higher than the England figure of £3,474
- Accounts, 2024-25Delivered by backstop92% of bodies had an opinion delivered by the backstop date
- Ofsted, children's services (county)Requires improvement to be good73% of English councils are good or outstanding
- CQC, adult social care (county)Good62% of assessed councils are good or outstanding
- A roads needing maintenance considered (county)7%Higher than the England figure of 5%
- Major planning decisions on time89.5%Lower than the England figure of 91.0%
Each figure is set against the figure for England as a whole. They are plain comparisons, one measure at a time: there is no overall score and no ranking of councils. Higher is not always better or worse; what each measure does and does not show is on the methodology page.
What do complaints to the ombudsman show?
| Measure | Cambridge | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints and enquiries receivedDetails for Complaints and enquiries received | 30 | — |
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Complaints and enquiries decidedDetails for Complaints and enquiries decided | 24 | 15 in 2024-25 |
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Detailed investigationsDetails for Detailed investigations | 2 | — |
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UpheldDetails for Upheld | 2 | — |
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Uphold rateDetails for Uphold rate | 100% | 86% for every body the Ombudsman covers; 74% for similar councils |
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Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedyDetails for Upheld cases where the council had already offered a satisfactory remedy | 0% | 13% for every body the Ombudsman covers |
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Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied withDetails for Ombudsman’s recommendations the council complied with | — | 99.9% for every body the Ombudsman covers |
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An uphold rate depends on how many complaints reach a detailed investigation. With few investigations, one decision moves it a long way.
Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Annual review of local government complaints, 2025-26.
The Housing Ombudsman, which handles complaints from council tenants, made 0 findings of severe maladministration against Cambridge City Council in 2025-26, out of 6 findings in 3 determinations. Its maladministration rate for this landlord was 83%.
Source: Housing Ombudsman Service, Annual complaints review: landlord tables, 2025-26.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | Cambridge | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2025-26Details for Net revenue spending, 2025-26 | £17.6m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2025-26Details for Reserves at the end of 2025-26 | £76.6m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 436% | 50% for England; 328% in 2024-25 |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £298.6m | — |
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Borrowing per home on the valuation listDetails for Borrowing per home on the valuation list | £4,898 | £3,474 across English billing authorities |
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Earmarked and unallocated revenue reserves at the end of the year, excluding schools and public health, as a share of net revenue expenditure. Much of any council’s reserves is set aside for particular purposes. Borrowing is total outstanding loans of every kind; councils borrow mainly to pay for buildings, roads and housing, and the figure does not show what the borrowing was for.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: revenue outturn time series, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Council Taxbase statistics, 2025.
What have the auditors said?
| Accounts year | Status recorded by PSAA | Opinion signed |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Delivered by backstop | 24 February 2026 |
| 2023-24 | Post backstop opinion delivered | 14 May 2025 |
“Delivered by backstop” means the auditor gave an opinion by the statutory backstop date. Many opinions given that way were disclaimed or qualified because the deadline cut the audit short; PSAA publishes which type of opinion each council received only as national totals, so it is not shown here. Auditors’ value-for-money findings are in each auditor’s annual report on the council’s website.
Source: Public Sector Audit Appointments, Monthly audit opinion data, 2024-25.
What are senior staff and councillors paid?
| Measure | 2025-26 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
Employees paid £50,000 or moreDetails for Employees paid £50,000 or more | 127 | 108 |
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Councillors’ allowancesDetails for Councillors’ allowances | £615,000 | £534,000 |
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The count is up 19 on the year before. 'The Council's other employees (excluding the senior employees disclosed separately above) receiving more than £50,000 remuneration for the year (excluding employer pension contributions)'. No band at or above £95,000 is printed and no total row. Cambridge is a district council and does not employ school staff (includesSchools recorded false on that basis, not from the note). The accounts describe the allowances figure as “The total of members' allowances and expenses paid in the year was £615,000 (2024/25: £534,000).”. These are draft accounts and may change at audit. Thresholds are not adjusted for inflation, so more staff cross them each year as pay rises.
Source: Cambridge, Cambridge City Council Unaudited Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2026, PDF page 51, Note 26. Checked 24 September 2026.
How are its services rated?
| Measure | Cambridge | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Children's services, Ofsted overall effectiveness | Requires improvement to be good (Cambridgeshire County Council) | 16 May 2024. 73% of English councils judged good or outstanding |
| Adult social care, CQC assessment | Good (Cambridgeshire County Council) | 20 August 2025. 62% of assessed councils rated good or outstanding |
| A roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 7% (Cambridgeshire County Council) | 5% in England |
| B and C roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 16% (Cambridgeshire County Council) | 7% in England |
| Unclassified roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 22% (Cambridgeshire County Council) | 17% in England |
| Major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of june 2026 | 89.5% | 91.0% for England |
| Non-major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of June 2026 | 93.5% | 90.7% for England |
Cambridgeshire County Council runs children’s services, adult social care and most roads here, so those rows are the county council’s. Inspections happen at different times, so a rating can be several years old; the date is shown with each. Planning figures are measured differently in each nation: share of decisions made within the statutory time (13 weeks for major, 8 for non-major) or an agreed extension, over 24 months.
Source: Ofsted, Children's social care: local authority inspection outcomes, as at 31 March 2026; Care Quality Commission, Local authority assessments, latest assessment; Department for Transport, Road condition statistics: data tables (RDC), 2024-25; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Live tables on planning application statistics (P151, P153), 24 months to end of June 2026.
What about the county council, Cambridgeshire County Council?
Cambridgeshire County Council sets its own share of the council tax bill here and runs social care, children’s services, most roads and waste disposal. Its own figures:
| Measure | Cambridgeshire County Council | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ombudsman uphold rate | 96% | 141 complaints decided, 2025-26 |
| Reserves as a share of net spending | 26% | 2025-26 |
| Outstanding borrowing | £867.8m | at 30 June 2026 |
| Accounts, 2024-25 | Delivered by backstop | Signed 26 February 2026 |
Official events for Cambridgeshire County Council:
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Audit
PSAA records the status as “Delivered by backstop”; auditor KPMG LLP.Public Sector Audit Appointments
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Audit backstop
Draft accounts published by the deadline: yes. Audit opinion delivered by the backstop date: yes.Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 22-010-218.Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 20-013-354.Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Annual review of local government complaints, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: revenue outturn time series, 2025-26; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026; Public Sector Audit Appointments, Monthly audit opinion data, 2024-25.
What has happened recently?
Decisions and publications by official bodies about Cambridge, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Election
Green Party 7, Labour Party 4, Liberal Democrats 4Democracy Club
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Council tax
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Audit
PSAA records the status as “Delivered by backstop”; auditor Ernst & Young LLP.Public Sector Audit Appointments
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Audit backstop
Draft accounts published by the deadline: no. Audit opinion delivered by the backstop date: no.Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Election
Labour Party 8, Liberal Democrats 3, Green Party 2, Labour and Co-operative Party 1Democracy Club
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Election
Labour Party 8, Liberal Democrats 4, Green Party 2, Labour and Co-operative Party 2Democracy Club
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Election
Labour Party 12, Liberal Democrats 3, Green Party 1Democracy Club
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent Cambridge and think a figure here is wrong, out of date or unfairly presented, email hello@whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk with this page’s address and the source you would point to. Every correction is logged, with its date, on the corrections page.
Where can I find out more?
What council tax is and why it works this way, including why the bands are still based on 1991 property values in England and Scotland, and how every area compares, everything else on Cambridge: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and Cambridge on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in Cambridge?
- Band D is £2,467 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,645 and the top band £4,934.
- Is council tax in Cambridge higher than average?
- Yes. Band D here is £56 above the England average of £2,411.
Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.