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Council tax in Colchester
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in Colchester for 2026-27 is £2,283 a year for a Band D home, £1,522 for Band A and £4,566 for the top band. That is £128 below the England average of £2,411. It ranks 251 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
- £2,283Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£91 (+4.1%) vs 2025-26
- £1,522Band A, the lowest
- −£128Band D against the England average of £2,411 Below average
- 251 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 | £1,521.90 | £126.83 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,775.55 | £147.96 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £2,029.20 | £169.10 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £2,282.85 | £190.24 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £2,790.15 | £232.51 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £3,297.45 | £274.79 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £3,804.75 | £317.06 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £4,565.70 | £380.47 |
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Who gets the money?
| Who receives it | Band D | Share |
|---|---|---|
ColchesterDetails for Colchester | £231 | 10% |
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Other precepting bodiesDetails for Other precepting bodies | £2,052 | 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 £128 below the England average, 251 of 296 councils from the highest.
How does Colchester compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for Colchester, 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 year4.1%Lower than the England figure of 4.9%
- Council tax per head£765Lower than the England figure of £796
- Ombudsman uphold rate67% (2 of 3)Lower than the England figure of 86%
- Reserves as a share of net spending38%Lower than the England figure of 50%
- Borrowing per home£2,394Lower 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)Outstanding73% 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)3%Lower than the England figure of 5%
- Recycling rate51.6%Higher than the England figure of 42.0%
- Major planning decisions on time100.0%Higher 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 | Colchester | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints and enquiries receivedDetails for Complaints and enquiries received | 26 | — |
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Complaints and enquiries decidedDetails for Complaints and enquiries decided | 20 | 28 in 2024-25 |
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Detailed investigationsDetails for Detailed investigations | 3 | — |
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UpheldDetails for Upheld | 2 | — |
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Uphold rateDetails for Uphold rate | 67% | 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 | 100% | 99.9% for every body the Ombudsman covers |
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Uphold rate in 2024-25Details for Uphold rate in 2024-25 | 67% | — |
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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 Colchester City Council in 2025-26, out of 16 findings in 9 determinations. Its maladministration rate for this landlord was 33%.
Source: Housing Ombudsman Service, Annual complaints review: landlord tables, 2025-26.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | Colchester | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2025-26Details for Net revenue spending, 2025-26 | £64.8m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2025-26Details for Reserves at the end of 2025-26 | £24.7m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 38% | 50% for England; 55% in 2024-25 |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £207.9m | — |
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Borrowing per home on the valuation listDetails for Borrowing per home on the valuation list | £2,394 | £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 | 25 March 2026 |
| 2023-24 | Post backstop opinion delivered | 16 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?
Senior pay and councillor allowances for Colchester have not yet been read from its statement of accounts. There is no central dataset of either; they are being added council by council, each with a link to the page of the accounts it comes from.
How are its services rated?
| Measure | Colchester | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Children's services, Ofsted overall effectiveness | Outstanding (Essex County Council) | 11 August 2023. 73% of English councils judged good or outstanding |
| Adult social care, CQC assessment | Good (Essex County Council) | 27 June 2025. 62% of assessed councils rated good or outstanding |
| A roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 3% (Essex County Council) | 5% in England |
| B and C roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 3% (Essex County Council) | 7% in England |
| Unclassified roads where maintenance should be considered, 2024-25 | 10% (Essex County Council) | 17% in England |
| Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting, 2024-25 | 51.6% | 42.0% for England |
| Major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of june 2026 | 100.0% | 91.0% for England |
| Non-major planning decisions on time, 24 months to end of June 2026 | 97.2% | 90.7% for England |
Essex 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, Essex County Council?
Essex 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 | Essex County Council | Detail |
|---|---|---|
Ombudsman uphold rateDetails for Ombudsman uphold rate | 95% | 447 complaints decided, 2025-26 |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 57% | 2025-26 |
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Outstanding borrowingDetails for Outstanding borrowing | £467.7m | at 30 June 2026 |
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Accounts, 2024-25Details for Accounts, 2024-25 | Delivered by backstop | Signed 2 December 2025 |
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Employees paid £50,000 or more, 2025-26Details for Employees paid £50,000 or more, 2025-26 | 2,633 | 2024-25: 2,176. Statement of accounts |
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Official events for Essex County Council:
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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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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 24-001-445.Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 23-003-950.Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
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Ombudsman
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman public interest report, case 19-008-474.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 Colchester, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Election
Conservative and Unionist Party 5, Reform UK 5, Liberal Democrats 3, Labour and Co-operative Party 2, Green Party 1, Labour Party 1Democracy Club
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Council tax
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Audit
PSAA records the status as “Post backstop opinion delivered”; 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: no.Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Audit backstop
Draft accounts published by the deadline: yes. Audit opinion delivered by the backstop date: not stated.Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Election
Conservative and Unionist Party 7, Labour Party 4, Liberal Democrats 4, Labour and Co-operative Party 2, Green Party 1Democracy Club
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Election
Conservative and Unionist Party 6, Liberal Democrats 6, Labour Party 3, Green Party 1, Labour and Co-operative Party 1Democracy Club
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Election
Conservative and Unionist Party 6, Labour Party 5, Liberal Democrats 5, Green Party 1, Labour and Co-operative Party 1Democracy Club
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent Colchester 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 Colchester: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and Colchester on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in Colchester?
- Band D is £2,283 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,522 and the top band £4,566.
- Is council tax in Colchester higher than average?
- No. Band D here is £128 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.