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Where your council tax goes in Central Bedfordshire
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
A Band D council tax bill in Central Bedfordshire is £2,516.16 for 2026-27, split between Central Bedfordshire £1,894.75, Central Bedfordshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase £36.79, Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable £297.59, Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority £122.72, Parish and town councils (average for the area) £164.31. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is adult social care at Central Bedfordshire: £819.05 of the bill. Council tax pays for 31% of the council's own spending; the rest is government grant, business rates and fees.
Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Key figures
- £2,516.16Band D bill, 2026-27
- £1,894.75Goes to Central Bedfordshire itself (75%)
- £819.05Largest line: adult social care
- 31.4%Of the council's money that comes from council tax, 2025-26
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Who gets your bill
Figures are for a Band D home. Bands A to H pay a fixed fraction of this, set in law.
Parish precepts differ from parish to parish; this is the average across the area, and a home outside any parish pays none.
And where does that bit go?
Choose any part of the bill to see how it divides, then keep going as far as the published returns allow. Every level has its own link you can share.
Your bill: £2,516.16
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Central Bedfordshire £1,894.75
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Parish and town councils (average for the area) £164.31
Central Bedfordshire
£1,894.75 of your bill goes to Central Bedfordshire. It is shared out below in proportion to how Central Bedfordshire spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Adult social care £819.05
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Children's social care £399.62
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Education £258.20
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Environment and regulation £159.39
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Running the council £86.78
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Roads and transport £64.10
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Housing (not council homes) £56.40
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Planning and development £22.92
Before sharing out your bill, the part of education paid for by the Dedicated Schools Grant (£181.9m) and public health paid for by the public health grant (£15.2m) is taken off, because council tax does not pay for it.
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 unitary councils in England closest in population: Nottingham City, Shropshire, Northumberland, Milton Keynes, South Gloucestershire, Medway Towns, East Riding of Yorkshire, Brighton and Hove, Cumberland, Cheshire West and Chester. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Adult social care
£819.05 of your bill goes to adult social care at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £133.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Learning disability support £281.36
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Physical support £234.45
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Care assessment and safeguarding £103.17
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £57.98
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Mental health support £55.07
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £43.69
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Sensory support £7.99
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Information and early intervention £3.59
Learning disability support
£281.36 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £45.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £254.65
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Aged 65 and over £26.71
Physical support
£234.45 of your bill goes to physical support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £38.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £184.27
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Aged 18 to 64 £50.17
Mental health support
£55.07 of your bill goes to mental health support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £9.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £41.06
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Aged 65 and over £14.01
Support with memory and cognition
£31.75 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £5.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £27.55
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Aged 18 to 64 £4.20
Sensory support
£7.99 of your bill goes to sensory support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £1.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £4.35
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Aged 18 to 64 £3.64
Children's social care
£399.62 of your bill goes to children's social care at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £65.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Family support £141.04
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Children looked after £90.91
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Services for young people £73.56
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Other children's and families' services £60.35
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Asylum-seeking children £21.82
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Youth justice £10.73
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Safeguarding and social work £1.22
Education
£258.20 of your bill goes to education at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £223.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Primary schools £92.56
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Other education £74.96
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Special schools and alternative provision £35.51
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Early years and nursery £32.03
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Secondary schools £16.65
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Post-16 £6.49
Environment and regulation
£159.39 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £26.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Waste disposal £58.72
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Waste collection £52.87
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Street cleaning £16.12
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Recycling and waste minimisation £11.61
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Community safety and CCTV £11.24
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Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £7.62
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Cemeteries and crematoria £1.21
Running the council
£86.78 of your bill goes to running the council at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £14.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £41.99
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £16.03
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Emergency planning £14.71
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Collecting council tax and business rates £6.76
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Elections and electoral registration £4.05
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Coroners' and other courts £3.24
Roads and transport
£64.10 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £10.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Road and bridge maintenance £22.74
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Support for bus, rail and other public transport £16.19
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Concessionary bus fares £9.99
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Street lighting (including energy) £9.07
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Winter service (gritting) £5.03
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Transport planning and policy £1.09
Housing (not council homes)
£56.40 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £9.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £33.44
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Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £12.00
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Other General Fund housing £10.96
Council homes are not in this. Council housing is paid for through the Housing Revenue Account, from tenants' rents, and the law keeps it separate from the General Fund that council tax goes into. Central Bedfordshire's Housing Revenue Account took in £43.8m and spent £46.5m in 2025-26. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£28.28 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £4.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Libraries £16.97
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Sport and leisure £5.94
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £4.43
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Museums, arts, heritage and archives £0.95
Planning and development
£22.92 of your bill goes to planning and development at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £3.7m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Economic development and business support £15.78
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Planning policy £4.28
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Planning applications (development management) £2.87
Central Bedfordshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase
£36.79 of your bill is this year's adult social care precept, which councils may raise on top of the usual limit for adult social care. It is shown against how Central Bedfordshire's adult social care spending of £133.4m divided in 2025-26. MHCLG publishes only this year's increase; the running total since 2016-17 printed on your bill is in the council part above.
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Learning disability support £12.64
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Physical support £10.53
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Care assessment and safeguarding £4.63
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £2.60
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Mental health support £2.47
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £1.96
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Sensory support £0.36
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Information and early intervention £0.16
Learning disability support
£12.64 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £45.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £11.44
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Aged 65 and over £1.20
Physical support
£10.53 of your bill goes to physical support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £38.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £8.28
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Aged 18 to 64 £2.25
Mental health support
£2.47 of your bill goes to mental health support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £9.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £1.84
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Aged 65 and over £0.63
Support with memory and cognition
£1.43 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £5.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £1.24
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.19
Sensory support
£0.36 of your bill goes to sensory support at Central Bedfordshire. Here is how its £1.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £0.20
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.16
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable
£297.59 of your bill is this year's adult social care precept, which councils may raise on top of the usual limit for adult social care. It is shown against how Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable's adult social care spending of £198.7m divided in 2025-26. MHCLG publishes only this year's increase; the running total since 2016-17 printed on your bill is in the council part above.
Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority
£122.72 of your bill goes to Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. It is shared out below in proportion to how Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Fire and rescue £114.23
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Running the council £8.49
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 fire and rescue authorities closest in population: Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, North Wales Fire Authority, Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority, East Sussex Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, North Yorkshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Durham Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Buckinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Mid and West Wales Fire Authority, Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Cleveland Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Fire and rescue
£114.23 of your bill goes to fire and rescue at Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £37.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Firefighting and rescue £100.55
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Community fire safety £12.05
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Fire emergency planning £1.63
Running the council
£8.49 of your bill goes to running the council at Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £2.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £5.30
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £3.19
Parks, street cleaning and roads here
What Central Bedfordshire spent, net of income, on the lines readers ask about most. Roads and street cleaning are also shown per mile of road the council looks after, where it is the highway authority. Gully cleaning and verge cutting are inside routine maintenance; no return splits them out.
| Line | Net spending | Per resident | Similar councils, per resident | Per mile of road | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parks and open spaces (including play areas)Details for Parks and open spaces (including play areas) | £721k | £2.24 | £18 | — | down 22.6% on 2024-25 |
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Street cleaningDetails for Street cleaning | £2.8m | £8.59 | £15 | £3,123 (similar: £2,703) | down 1.9% on 2024-25 |
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Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £4.0m | £12 | £18 | £4,493 (similar: £4,428) | up 18.3% on 2024-25 |
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £4.0m | £12 | £9.88 | £4,493 (similar: £2,022) | up 18.3% on 2024-25 |
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Winter service (gritting)Details for Winter service (gritting) | £878k | £2.73 | £2.30 | £993 (similar: £665) | down 5.8% on 2024-25 |
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Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £1.6m | £4.93 | £9.17 | £1,792 (similar: £1,776) | up 39.4% on 2024-25 |
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Miles of road: Department for Transport road lengths, 2025; locally managed major roads and all minor roads. More on what council tax does and doesn't pay for.
What it adds up to
| Service | Per resident | Median |
|---|---|---|
EducationDetails for Education | £696 | £718 |
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Adult social careDetails for Adult social care | £415 | £483 |
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Children's social careDetails for Children's social care | £202 | £309 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £81 | £111 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £46 | £65 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £44 | £52 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £32 | £49 |
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Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £29 | £34 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £14 | £38 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £12 | £22 |
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- Central Bedfordshire spent 38.6% of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2025-26 (median for unitary councils in England: 31.1%); the rest went on suppliers, contractors, grants, benefits and other running costs.
What this data does and doesn't show
- These are each body's own figures, as reported to government in its revenue outturn return. Net spending is after the fees, charges and grants a service brings in.
- Your bill is for 2026-27; it is shared out using the latest published return, which covers an earlier year. The mix of spending changes little from one year to the next, but it does change.
- Council tax is not ring-fenced: this shows your bill in proportion to spending, not what your money bought. Where a precept is set aside for adult social care, it is shown against adult social care.
- No council publishes spending at street or property level, so nothing here says what was spent near you.
- Sub-service lines are the ones the national returns itemise. Councils describe their own budgets differently; their budget books and statements of accounts have more detail.
Sources
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England: Table 10, local authority level data, published 25 March 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: Revenue Outturn multi-year data set, published 28 September 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0.
How the split is worked out, and how the three nations' returns are matched to one list of services, is on the methodology page. The dataset is on the data page. See also council tax in Central Bedfordshire and everything else about Central Bedfordshire.
Common questions
- What does council tax pay for in Central Bedfordshire?
- A Band D bill of £2,516.16 is split between Central Bedfordshire, Central Bedfordshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase, Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, Bedfordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Parish and town councils (average for the area). In proportion to spending, the largest line is adult social care, £819.05.
- Is council tax ring-fenced for particular services?
- No. Council tax is pooled with grants, business rates and fees. The adult social care precept is the exception: councils raise it for adult social care.
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 |
| Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: Revenue Outturn multi-year data set | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 28 September 2026 | 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.