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Where your council tax goes in Nottingham
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
A Band D council tax bill in Nottingham is £2,755.39 for 2026-27, split between Nottingham £2,296.83, Nottingham: adult social care precept, this year's increase £45.25, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable £311.10, Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority £102.21. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is adult social care at Nottingham: £744.60 of the bill. Council tax pays for 14% 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
- £2,755.39Band D bill, 2026-27
- £2,296.83Goes to Nottingham itself (83%)
- £744.60Largest line: adult social care
- 13.7%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: £2,755.39
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Nottingham £2,296.83
Nottingham
£2,296.83 of your bill goes to Nottingham. It is shared out below in proportion to how Nottingham City spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Adult social care £744.60
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Children's social care £649.17
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Environment and regulation £169.31
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Education £168.43
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Roads and transport £153.83
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Housing (not council homes) £112.54
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Other services £105.48
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Planning and development £71.90
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Running the council £59.81
Before sharing out your bill, the part of education paid for by the Dedicated Schools Grant (£164.0m) and public health paid for by the public health grant (£39.9m) 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: Central Bedfordshire, Shropshire, Northumberland, Milton Keynes, South Gloucestershire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Medway Towns, Brighton and Hove, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumberland. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Adult social care
£744.60 of your bill goes to adult social care at Nottingham City. Here is how its £149.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Physical support £270.39
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Learning disability support £240.64
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Mental health support £111.33
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Care assessment and safeguarding £35.92
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £24.93
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £14.46
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Sensory support £6.49
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Information and early intervention £3.97
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to adult social care came to £4.8m across 1,158 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Names withheld by the council: £753k (397 payments)
- NCHA LTD: £691k (14 payments)
- JUBILEE CARE HOMES NOTTM LTD: £543k (4 payments)
- NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: £520k (6 payments)
- FRAMEWORK HOUSING ASSOCIATION: £167k (4 payments)
Physical support
£270.39 of your bill goes to physical support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £54.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £186.03
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Aged 18 to 64 £84.36
Learning disability support
£240.64 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £48.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £213.26
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Aged 65 and over £27.38
Mental health support
£111.33 of your bill goes to mental health support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £22.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £79.44
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Aged 65 and over £31.89
Support with memory and cognition
£36.46 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Nottingham City. Here is how its £7.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £25.67
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Aged 18 to 64 £10.79
Sensory support
£6.49 of your bill goes to sensory support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £1.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £4.81
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Aged 65 and over £1.68
Children's social care
£649.17 of your bill goes to children's social care at Nottingham City. Here is how its £130.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Children looked after £414.79
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Safeguarding and social work £160.10
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Family support £36.48
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Youth justice £11.93
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Services for young people £11.63
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Asylum-seeking children £8.91
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Children's centres and early years £3.19
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Other children's and families' services £2.15
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to children's social care came to £11.2m across 1,032 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- HOMES 2 INSPIRE: £4.3m (18 payments)
- NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: £1.5m (10 payments)
- NHS NOTTINGHAM & NOTTINGHAMSHIRE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD: £966k (3 payments)
- CHANNEL 3 CONSULTING LTD: £362k (10 payments)
- NORMAN GALLOWAY HOMES CIC: £315k (74 payments)
Environment and regulation
£169.31 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Nottingham City. Here is how its £34.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Recycling and waste minimisation £37.18
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Community safety and CCTV £35.99
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Street cleaning £32.69
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Waste disposal £29.33
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Other environmental services £19.20
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Waste collection £11.97
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Trading standards £1.61
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Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £1.10
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Public toilets £0.25
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to environment and regulation came to £84.0m across 7,253 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY SECURITY & NET ZERO: £9.4m (1 payment)
- TOTAL ENERGIES GAS&POWER LTD: £8.5m (165 payments)
- WASTENOTTS (RECLAMATION) LTD: £7.0m (64 payments)
- ENVA ENGLAND LTD: £4.8m (140 payments)
- YOUR NRG LTD: £1.6m (224 payments)
Education
£168.43 of your bill goes to education at Nottingham City. Here is how its £197.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Primary schools £74.07
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Special schools and alternative provision £41.23
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Early years and nursery £36.17
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Other education £13.84
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Post-16 £3.12
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to education came to £94.4m across 7,132 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- WOODLANDS SCHOOL T/A RALEIGH LEARNING TRUST: £23.0m (46 payments)
- NETHERGATE ACADEMY: £5.2m (11 payments)
- PLUXEE UK LTD: £2.1m (9 payments)
- NEXUS MAT T/A NOTTINGHAM HOPE ACADEMY: £2.0m (7 payments)
- KIDS PLANET DAY NURSERIES LTD: £1.6m (162 payments)
Roads and transport
£153.83 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Nottingham City. Here is how its £30.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Support for bus, rail and other public transport £83.72
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Concessionary bus fares £35.99
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Road and bridge maintenance £15.95
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Street lighting (including energy) £10.53
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Transport planning and policy £6.59
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Winter service (gritting) £1.04
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to roads and transport came to £40k across 1 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- QUADIENT FINANCE UK LTD: £40k (1 payment)
Road and bridge maintenance
£15.95 of your bill goes to road and bridge maintenance at Nottingham City. Here is how its £5.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) £8.40
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenance £7.56
Housing (not council homes)
£112.54 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Nottingham City. Here is how its £22.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £89.87
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Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £17.91
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Housing strategy, advice and enabling £4.75
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. Nottingham City's Housing Revenue Account took in £167.9m and spent £140.4m in 2025-26. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Planning and development
£71.90 of your bill goes to planning and development at Nottingham City. Here is how its £14.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Economic development and business support £55.31
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Community development £8.15
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Planning policy £3.80
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Planning applications (development management) £3.46
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Building control £1.19
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to planning and development came to £41.5m across 2,572 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- NOTTINGHAM CITY TRANSPORT LTD: £5.2m (90 payments)
- FRAMEWORK HOUSING ASSOCIATION: £3.6m (37 payments)
- GRT NOTTM LIFT PROJECT COMPANY (NO2) LTD: £2.5m (25 payments)
- NOTTINGHAM & NOTTINGHAMSHIRE YOUTH SUPPORT: £2.0m (9 payments)
- WARBURTON SERVICES LTD: £1.6m (24 payments)
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£61.77 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Nottingham City. Here is how its £12.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £30.79
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Libraries £19.88
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Sport and leisure £10.43
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Community centres and public halls £0.64
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Tourism £0.03
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to parks, leisure, libraries and culture came to £9.8m across 602 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- MINISTRY OF HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: £7.6m (3 payments)
- THOMPSON TREE SERVICES (MIDLANDS) LTD: £1.7m (339 payments)
- BEECHWOOD TREES & LANDSCAPES LTD: £98k (41 payments)
- CROMWELL POLYTHENE LTD: £44k (15 payments)
- TUDOR UK LTD T/A TUDOR ENVIRONMENTAL: £37k (22 payments)
Running the council
£59.81 of your bill goes to running the council at Nottingham City. Here is how its £12.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £19.96
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £18.24
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Coroners' and other courts £9.48
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Collecting council tax and business rates £6.44
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Elections and electoral registration £3.41
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Emergency planning £2.27
Named suppliers
In Nottingham's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-08 to 2026-07, payments our keyword matching links to running the council came to £48.8m across 2,147 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- TRAMLINK NOTTINGHAM: £33.9m (32 payments)
- CLICK TRAVEL: £1.1m (86 payments)
- NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: £1.0m (12 payments)
- Names withheld by the council: £947k (75 payments)
- LIQUIDLOGIC LTD: £741k (9 payments)
Nottingham: adult social care precept, this year's increase
£45.25 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 Nottingham City's adult social care spending of £149.4m 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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Physical support £16.43
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Learning disability support £14.62
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Mental health support £6.77
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Care assessment and safeguarding £2.18
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £1.52
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £0.88
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Sensory support £0.39
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Information and early intervention £0.24
Physical support
£16.43 of your bill goes to physical support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £54.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £11.31
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Aged 18 to 64 £5.13
Learning disability support
£14.62 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £48.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £12.96
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Aged 65 and over £1.66
Mental health support
£6.77 of your bill goes to mental health support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £22.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £4.83
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Aged 65 and over £1.94
Support with memory and cognition
£2.22 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Nottingham City. Here is how its £7.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £1.56
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.66
Sensory support
£0.39 of your bill goes to sensory support at Nottingham City. Here is how its £1.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.29
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Aged 65 and over £0.10
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable
£311.10 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 Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable's adult social care spending of £298.3m 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.
Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority
£102.21 of your bill goes to Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. It is shared out below in proportion to how Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Fire and rescue £101.73
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Running the council £0.48
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 fire and rescue authorities closest in population: Staffordshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Leicestershire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority, Cheshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Avon Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Derbyshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Berkshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Humberside Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Fire and rescue
£101.73 of your bill goes to fire and rescue at Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £56.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Firefighting and rescue £89.53
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Community fire safety £10.16
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Fire emergency planning £2.04
Parks, street cleaning and roads here
What Nottingham City 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) | £6.9m | £21 | £13 | — | up 32.2% on 2024-25 |
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Street cleaningDetails for Street cleaning | £7.9m | £24 | £11 | £16,057 (similar: £2,703) | down 19.2% on 2024-25 |
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Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £5.5m | £17 | £17 | £11,171 (similar: £3,459) | down 10.7% on 2024-25 |
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £2.6m | £7.99 | £11 | £5,291 (similar: £2,022) | down 4.8% on 2024-25 |
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges)Details for Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) | £2.9m | £8.88 | £6.12 | £5,880 (similar: £1,902) | down 15.3% on 2024-25 |
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Winter service (gritting)Details for Winter service (gritting) | £357k | £1.10 | £2.59 | £726 (similar: £757) | up 50.0% on 2024-25 |
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Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £3.6m | £11 | £8.57 | £7,376 (similar: £1,766) | up 81.2% 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 | £607 | £718 |
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Adult social careDetails for Adult social care | £459 | £483 |
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Children's social careDetails for Children's social care | £400 | £300 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £120 | £64 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £104 | £111 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £95 | £49 |
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Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £69 | £33 |
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Other servicesDetails for Other services | £65 | £9.20 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £44 | £21 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £38 | £38 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £37 | £52 |
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- Nottingham City spent 35.2% 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.
- Its published payments of £500 or more came to £645.2m between 2025-08 and 2026-07. 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 8.7% of its staff costs (median among the 6 other unitary councils in England whose £500 data is read: 5.2%). The two come from different sources and periods, so this is a guide to scale, not an exact share.
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 Nottingham and everything else about Nottingham.
Common questions
- What does council tax pay for in Nottingham?
- A Band D bill of £2,755.39 is split between Nottingham, Nottingham: adult social care precept, this year's increase, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. In proportion to spending, the largest line is adult social care, £744.60.
- 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.