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Council tax in Cheltenham
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in Cheltenham for 2026-27 is £2,370 a year for a Band D home, £1,580 for Band A and £4,739 for the top band. That is £41 below the England average of £2,411. It ranks 197 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
- £2,370Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£111 (+4.9%) vs 2025-26
- £1,580Band A, the lowest
- −£41Band D against the England average of £2,411 Below average
- 197 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 | £1,579.68 | £131.64 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,842.96 | £153.58 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £2,106.24 | £175.52 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £2,369.52 | £197.46 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £2,896.08 | £241.34 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £3,422.64 | £285.22 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £3,949.20 | £329.10 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £4,739.04 | £394.92 |
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Who gets the money?
| Who receives it | Band D | Share |
|---|---|---|
CheltenhamDetails for Cheltenham | £252 | 11% |
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Other precepting bodiesDetails for Other precepting bodies | £2,117 | 89% |
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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 £41 below the England average, 197 of 296 councils from the highest.
How does Cheltenham compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for Cheltenham, 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 year4.9%The same as the England figure of 4.9%
- Council tax per head£878Higher than the England figure of £796
- Ombudsman uphold rate100% (1 of 1)Higher than the England figure of 86%
- Reserves as a share of net spending34%Lower than the England figure of 50%
- Borrowing per home£3,749Higher than the England figure of £3,474
- Accounts, 2024-25Post backstop opinion delivered92% of bodies had an opinion delivered by the backstop date
- Ofsted, children's services (county)Good73% of English councils are good or outstanding
- CQC, adult social care (county)Requires improvement62% of assessed councils are good or outstanding
- A roads needing maintenance considered (county)1%Lower than the England figure of 5%
- Recycling rate48.4%Higher than the England figure of 42.0%
- Major planning decisions on time88.5%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 | Cheltenham | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints and enquiries receivedDetails for Complaints and enquiries received | 11 | — |
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Complaints and enquiries decidedDetails for Complaints and enquiries decided | 9 | 12 in 2024-25 |
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Detailed investigationsDetails for Detailed investigations | 1 | — |
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UpheldDetails for Upheld | 1 | — |
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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 | 100% | 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.
This council is not in the Housing Ombudsman’s landlord tables for 2025-26, which list landlords with five or more findings. Most councils without their own homes are not.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | Cheltenham | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2025-26Details for Net revenue spending, 2025-26 | £16.9m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2025-26Details for Reserves at the end of 2025-26 | £5.7m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 34% | 50% for England; 29% in 2024-25 |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £215.9m | — |
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Borrowing per home on the valuation listDetails for Borrowing per home on the valuation list | £3,749 | £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 | Post backstop opinion delivered | 10 June 2026 |
| 2023-24 | Delivered by backstop | 27 February 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 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|
Employees paid £50,000 or moreDetails for Employees paid £50,000 or more | 35 | 26 |
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Councillors’ allowancesDetails for Councillors’ allowances | £457,144 | £428,009 |
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The count is up 9 on the year before. Current = 2024/25, previous = 2023/24. 'The number of other employees whose remuneration, excluding employer's pension contributions, was £50,000 or more in bands of £5,000' follows the senior officers table. Totals 35 (2024/25) and 26 (2023/24). Cheltenham is a district council and does not employ school staff (includesSchools recorded false on that basis, not from the note). The second band is printed '£55.000 - £59,999'. The accounts describe the allowances figure as “In 2024/25 the council paid £457,144 (2023/24 £428,009) in allowances to its 40 members.”. Thresholds are not adjusted for inflation, so more staff cross them each year as pay rises.
Source: Cheltenham, Cheltenham Borough Council Statement of Accounts 2024/25, PDF pages 45-46, Note 11. Checked 24 September 2026.
How are its services rated?
| Measure | Cheltenham | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Children's services, Ofsted overall effectiveness | Good (Gloucestershire County Council) | 4 August 2025. 73% of English councils judged good or outstanding |
| Adult social care, CQC assessment | Requires improvement (Gloucestershire County Council) | 62% of assessed councils rated good or outstanding |
| A roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 1% (Gloucestershire County Council) | 5% in England |
| B and C roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 4% (Gloucestershire County Council) | 7% in England |
| Unclassified roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 24% (Gloucestershire County Council) | 17% in England |
| Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting, 2024-25 | 48.4% | 42.0% for England |
| Major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of june 2026 | 88.5% | 91.0% for England |
| Non-major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of June 2026 | 95.8% | 90.7% for England |
Gloucestershire 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. Recycling rates are measured differently in England, Scotland and Wales, so compare within a nation.
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; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Local authority collected waste management: annual results, 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, Gloucestershire County Council?
Gloucestershire 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 | Gloucestershire County Council | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ombudsman uphold rate | 90% | 90 complaints decided, 2025-26 |
| Reserves as a share of net spending | 33% | 2025-26 |
| Outstanding borrowing | £236.3m | at 30 June 2026 |
| Accounts, 2024-25 | Delivered by backstop | Signed 24 November 2025 |
Official events for Gloucestershire 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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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 19-014-556.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 Cheltenham, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Audit
PSAA records the status as “Post backstop opinion delivered”; auditor Bishop Fleming Audit Limited.Public Sector Audit Appointments
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Election
Liberal Democrats 17, Green Party 2, Reform UK 1Democracy Club
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Council tax
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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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
Liberal Democrats 36, Green Party 3, People Against Bureaucracy Group 1Democracy Club
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Election
Liberal Democrats 18, Conservative and Unionist Party 1, Green Party 1, People Against Bureaucracy Group 1Democracy Club
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and Cheltenham on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in Cheltenham?
- Band D is £2,370 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,580 and the top band £4,739.
- Is council tax in Cheltenham higher than average?
- No. Band D here is £41 below 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.