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Where your council tax goes in Norwich
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
A Band D council tax bill in Norwich is £2,503.44 for 2026-27, split between Norwich £315.26, Norfolk County Council £1,808.29, Norfolk County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase £35.10, Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable £344.79. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is adult social care at Norfolk County Council: £767.60 of the bill. Council tax pays for 10% 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
- £2,503.44Band D bill, 2026-27
- £315.26Goes to Norwich itself (13%)
- £767.60Largest line: adult social care
- 10.3%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.
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: £2,503.44
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Norwich £315.26
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Norfolk County Council £1,808.29
Norwich
£315.26 of your bill goes to Norwich. It is shared out below in proportion to how Norwich City spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Housing (not council homes) £96.35
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Environment and regulation £94.47
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Planning and development £41.92
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Running the council £20.35
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Public health £3.44
Roads and transport brought in £2.6m more than it cost in 2025-26, so it takes no share of your bill.
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 district councils in England closest in population: Lancaster, East Lindsey, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Eastleigh, Thanet, South Kesteven, Breckland, Stafford, Stratford-on-Avon, Ashford. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Housing (not council homes)
£96.35 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Norwich City. Here is how its £10.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £39.59
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Housing strategy, advice and enabling £36.48
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Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £13.27
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Private sector housing renewal £3.60
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Supporting People and welfare services £3.40
Named suppliers
In Norwich's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-02 to 2026-01, payments our keyword matching links to housing (not council homes) came to £4.2m across 827 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Names withheld by the council: £996k (466 payments)
- ST MARTINS HOUSING TRUST: £887k (9 payments)
- E.ON UK GREEN FUNDING SOLUTIONS LIMITED: £343k (3 payments)
- COOKES HEATING LTD: £146k (19 payments)
- THE HOUSING OMBUDSMAN: £141k (1 payment)
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. Norwich City's Housing Revenue Account took in £87.9m and spent £80.3m in 2025-26. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Environment and regulation
£94.47 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Norwich City. Here is how its £10.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Street cleaning £33.02
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Recycling and waste minimisation £20.88
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Waste collection £13.37
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Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £12.11
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Community safety and CCTV £12.01
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Cemeteries and crematoria £1.58
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Public toilets £1.50
Named suppliers
In Norwich's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-02 to 2026-01, payments our keyword matching links to environment and regulation came to £7.1m across 226 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- BIFFA MUNICIPAL LIMITED: £3.7m (43 payments)
- NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL: £633k (3 payments)
- P J SPILLINGS (BUILDERS) LTD: £545k (5 payments)
- KARCHER UK LTD: £544k (1 payment)
- ERNEST DOE & SONS LTD: £426k (3 payments)
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£58.73 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Norwich City. Here is how its £6.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £44.40
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Museums, arts, heritage and archives £7.41
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Community centres and public halls £4.31
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Sport and leisure £1.73
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Tourism £0.89
Named suppliers
In Norwich's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-02 to 2026-01, payments our keyword matching links to parks, leisure, libraries and culture came to £2.4m across 284 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- MINISTRY OF HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: £646k (1 payment)
- N D WILLAN BUILDING CONTRACTORS LTD: £470k (3 payments)
- NORWICH CITY SERVICES LTD: £187k (73 payments)
- RenEnergy Limited: £173k (2 payments)
- PREMIER PLAYGROUNDS LTD: £80k (13 payments)
Planning and development
£41.92 of your bill goes to planning and development at Norwich City. Here is how its £4.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Planning policy £23.54
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Planning applications (development management) £9.21
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Economic development and business support £4.69
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Community development £2.26
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Environmental initiatives £1.46
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Building control £0.75
Named suppliers
In Norwich's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-02 to 2026-01, payments our keyword matching links to planning and development came to £8.0m across 326 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- DSM DEMOLITION LTD: £3.6m (6 payments)
- IW GROUP SERVICES (UK) LIMITED: £1.1m (6 payments)
- N D WILLAN BUILDING CONTRACTORS LTD: £858k (16 payments)
- MEANWHILE CREATIVE LIMITED: £315k (4 payments)
- Place Partners Ltd: £217k (4 payments)
Running the council
£20.35 of your bill goes to running the council at Norwich City. Here is how its £2.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Collecting council tax and business rates £17.27
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Elections and electoral registration £3.07
Named suppliers
In Norwich's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-02 to 2026-01, payments our keyword matching links to running the council came to £5.2m across 629 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Names withheld by the council: £1.8m (317 payments)
- NEC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS UK LTD: £385k (15 payments)
- PHOENIX SOFTWARE LTD: £367k (26 payments)
- NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL: £249k (4 payments)
- ERNST & YOUNG LLP: £222k (5 payments)
Norfolk County Council
£1,808.29 of your bill goes to Norfolk County Council. It is shared out below in proportion to how Norfolk County Council spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Adult social care £767.60
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Children's social care £373.50
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Education £334.25
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Environment and regulation £84.66
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Roads and transport £70.76
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Fire and rescue £70.69
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Running the council £60.66
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Planning and development £13.84
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Public health £7.33
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Other services £0.36
Before sharing out your bill, the part of education paid for by the Dedicated Schools Grant (£406.1m) and public health paid for by the public health grant (£48.2m) is taken off, because council tax does not pay for it.
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 county councils closest in population: West Sussex County Council, Staffordshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Devon County Council, Derbyshire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Suffolk County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Leicestershire County Council, Hertfordshire County Council. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Adult social care
£767.60 of your bill goes to adult social care at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £477.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Physical support £228.19
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Learning disability support £219.25
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £87.44
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Care assessment and safeguarding £61.66
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Mental health support £60.30
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Information and early intervention £35.35
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £31.06
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Sensory support £6.52
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Assistive equipment and technology £2.75
Physical support
£228.19 of your bill goes to physical support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £142.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £178.55
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Aged 18 to 64 £49.64
Learning disability support
£219.25 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £136.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £181.83
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Aged 65 and over £37.42
Mental health support
£60.30 of your bill goes to mental health support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £37.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £36.71
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Aged 65 and over £23.58
Support with memory and cognition
£35.08 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £21.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £30.89
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Aged 18 to 64 £4.19
Sensory support
£6.52 of your bill goes to sensory support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £4.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £3.84
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Aged 18 to 64 £2.68
Children's social care
£373.50 of your bill goes to children's social care at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £232.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Children looked after £229.95
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Family support £89.99
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Safeguarding and social work £31.32
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Children's centres and early years £8.67
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Other children's and families' services £5.15
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Youth justice £4.30
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Services for young people £4.11
Education
£334.25 of your bill goes to education at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £614.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Primary schools £115.76
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Special schools and alternative provision £86.29
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Other education £67.71
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Early years and nursery £53.57
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Secondary schools £7.14
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Post-16 £3.78
Environment and regulation
£84.66 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £52.7m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Waste disposal £62.34
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Recycling and waste minimisation £17.29
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Trading standards £3.47
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Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £1.55
Roads and transport
£70.76 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £44.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Support for bus, rail and other public transport £25.86
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Concessionary bus fares £17.09
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Street lighting (including energy) £14.38
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Winter service (gritting) £4.91
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Traffic management and road safety £0.94
Road and bridge maintenance
£7.58 of your bill goes to road and bridge maintenance at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £5.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenance £5.55
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) £2.03
Fire and rescue
£70.69 of your bill goes to fire and rescue at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £44.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Firefighting and rescue £62.36
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Community fire safety £5.17
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Fire emergency planning £3.16
Running the council
£60.66 of your bill goes to running the council at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £37.7m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £27.17
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Local welfare assistance £20.50
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Corporate and democratic core £8.33
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Coroners' and other courts £4.53
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Elections and electoral registration £0.12
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£24.65 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £15.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Libraries £17.21
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Museums, arts, heritage and archives £5.59
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £1.84
Planning and development
£13.84 of your bill goes to planning and development at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £8.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Economic development and business support £11.30
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Environmental initiatives £2.54
Public health
£7.33 of your bill goes to public health at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £52.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Health visiting and children's 0-5 services £1.84
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Drug and alcohol services £1.79
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Sexual health £1.06
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Other public health £1.01
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Children's 5-19 programmes £0.63
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NHS health checks and health protection £0.36
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Stop smoking and tobacco control £0.29
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Obesity and physical activity £0.23
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Public mental health £0.12
Norfolk County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase
£35.10 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 Norfolk County Council's adult social care spending of £477.6m 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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Physical support £10.43
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Learning disability support £10.03
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £4.00
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Care assessment and safeguarding £2.82
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Mental health support £2.76
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Information and early intervention £1.62
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £1.42
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Sensory support £0.30
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Assistive equipment and technology £0.13
Physical support
£10.43 of your bill goes to physical support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £142.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £8.16
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Aged 18 to 64 £2.27
Learning disability support
£10.03 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £136.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £8.31
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Aged 65 and over £1.71
Mental health support
£2.76 of your bill goes to mental health support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £37.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £1.68
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Aged 65 and over £1.08
Support with memory and cognition
£1.60 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £21.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £1.41
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.19
Sensory support
£0.30 of your bill goes to sensory support at Norfolk County Council. Here is how its £4.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £0.18
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.12
Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable
£344.79 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 Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable's adult social care spending of £252.5m 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.
Parks, street cleaning and roads here
What Norwich City and Norfolk County Council 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) | £4.7m | £32 | £11 | — | up 43.5% on 2024-25 |
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Street cleaningDetails for Street cleaning | £3.5m | £24 | £11 | — | up 65.3% on 2024-25 |
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Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £16k | £0.11 | £0.27 | — | — |
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £16k | £0.11 | £0.25 | — | — |
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Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £227k | £1.56 | £0.42 | — | up 3.2% on 2024-25 |
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| 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) | £1.2m | £1.24 | £3.00 | — | up 861.5% on 2024-25 |
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Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £5.3m | £5.60 | £25 | £869 (similar: £5,563) | down 47.0% on 2024-25 |
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £3.9m | £4.10 | £19 | £636 (similar: £4,248) | down 57.2% on 2024-25 |
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges)Details for Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) | £1.4m | £1.50 | £3.22 | £232 (similar: £946) | up 50.6% on 2024-25 |
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Winter service (gritting)Details for Winter service (gritting) | £3.4m | £3.63 | £4.34 | £563 (similar: £1,012) | down 16.4% on 2024-25 |
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Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £10.0m | £11 | £6.60 | £1,648 (similar: £1,683) | down 3.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £70 | £24 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £69 | £56 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £43 | £23 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £30 | £22 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £15 | £41 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £2.51 | £0.47 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £-17.54 | £-4.18 |
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- Norwich City spent 41.9% of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2025-26 (median for district councils in England: 39.3%); the rest went on suppliers, contractors, grants, benefits and other running costs.
- Its published payments of £500 or more came to £83.5m between 2025-02 and 2026-01. These include capital and council housing spending, so they are not a share of the figures above.
- Payments we classify as consultancy and agency staff came to 1.8% of its staff costs (median among the 4 other district councils in England whose £500 data is read: 18.1%). The two come from different sources and periods, so this is a guide to scale, not an exact share.
| Service | Per resident | Median |
|---|---|---|
EducationDetails for Education | £649 | £736 |
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Adult social careDetails for Adult social care | £505 | £447 |
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Children's social careDetails for Children's social care | £246 | £239 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £56 | £52 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £56 | £58 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £47 | £68 |
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Fire and rescueDetails for Fire and rescue | £47 | £48 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £40 | £21 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £16 | £17 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £9.11 | £4.63 |
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Other servicesDetails for Other services | £0.24 | £0.63 |
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- Norfolk County Council spent 32.0% of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2025-26 (median for county councils: 28.1%); 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 Norwich and everything else about Norwich.
Common questions
- What does council tax pay for in Norwich?
- A Band D bill of £2,503.44 is split between Norwich, Norfolk County Council, Norfolk County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase, Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable. In proportion to spending, the largest line is adult social care, £767.60.
- 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.