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Where your council tax goes in South Cambridgeshire
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
A Band D council tax bill in South Cambridgeshire is £2,536.25 for 2026-27, split between South Cambridgeshire £180.64, Cambridgeshire County Council £1,751.41, Cambridgeshire County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase £34.01, Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable £314.37, Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority £92.16, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority £36.00, Parish and town councils (average for the area) £127.66. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is adult social care at Cambridgeshire County Council: £749.08 of the bill. Council tax pays for 13% 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
- £2,536.25Band D bill, 2026-27
- £180.64Goes to South Cambridgeshire itself (7%)
- £749.08Largest line: adult social care
- 13.4%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: £2,536.25
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South Cambridgeshire £180.64
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Cambridgeshire County Council £1,751.41
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Parish and town councils (average for the area) £127.66
South Cambridgeshire
£180.64 of your bill goes to South Cambridgeshire. It is shared out below in proportion to how South Cambridgeshire spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Running the council £62.48
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Planning and development £50.94
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Environment and regulation £49.03
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Housing (not council homes) £17.24
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Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £0.95
Roads and transport brought in £6k 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: New Forest, Arun, Cherwell, Wealden, Braintree, Oxford, Preston, Mid Sussex, Canterbury, Dacorum. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Running the council
£62.48 of your bill goes to running the council at South Cambridgeshire. Here is how its £10.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Other central services £33.12
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Corporate and democratic core £21.37
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Collecting council tax and business rates £5.69
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Elections and electoral registration £2.09
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Emergency planning £0.21
Planning and development
£50.94 of your bill goes to planning and development at South Cambridgeshire. Here is how its £8.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Planning policy £30.79
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Planning applications (development management) £7.99
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Community development £4.72
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Economic development and business support £3.28
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Environmental initiatives £3.27
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Building control £0.89
Environment and regulation
£49.03 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at South Cambridgeshire. Here is how its £8.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Recycling and waste minimisation £19.18
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Waste collection £15.97
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Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £7.10
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Street cleaning £4.79
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Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £1.44
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Community safety and CCTV £0.54
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Cemeteries and crematoria £0.01
Housing (not council homes)
£17.24 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at South Cambridgeshire. Here is how its £2.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £11.51
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Supporting People and welfare services £2.65
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Housing strategy, advice and enabling £2.53
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Private sector housing renewal £0.34
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Other General Fund housing £0.21
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. South Cambridgeshire's Housing Revenue Account took in £43.4m and spent £46.0m in 2025-26. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Cambridgeshire County Council
£1,751.41 of your bill goes to Cambridgeshire County Council. It is shared out below in proportion to how Cambridgeshire County Council spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Adult social care £749.08
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Children's social care £353.84
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Education £348.47
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Environment and regulation £125.77
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Roads and transport £66.28
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Running the council £57.34
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Housing (not council homes) £18.61
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Public health £8.73
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Planning and development £4.82
Before sharing out your bill, the part of education paid for by the Dedicated Schools Grant (£351.5m) and public health paid for by the public health grant (£32.1m) is taken off, because council tax does not pay for it.
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. Cambridgeshire County Council reported no Housing Revenue Account for 2025-26: it has no council homes of its own, or they were transferred to a housing association. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 county councils closest in population: Leicestershire County Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Suffolk County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Warwickshire County Council, Worcestershire County Council, Derbyshire County Council, Devon County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Adult social care
£749.08 of your bill goes to adult social care at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £285.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Learning disability support £298.40
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Physical support £184.69
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £97.61
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Mental health support £59.52
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Care assessment and safeguarding £34.06
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £18.57
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Information and early intervention £7.06
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Assistive equipment and technology £5.45
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Sensory support £3.82
Learning disability support
£298.40 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £113.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £260.57
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Aged 65 and over £37.83
Physical support
£184.69 of your bill goes to physical support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £70.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £146.40
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Aged 18 to 64 £38.29
Mental health support
£59.52 of your bill goes to mental health support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £22.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £34.54
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Aged 65 and over £24.98
Support with memory and cognition
£39.90 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £15.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £34.46
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Aged 18 to 64 £5.44
Sensory support
£3.82 of your bill goes to sensory support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £1.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £2.51
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Aged 18 to 64 £1.31
Children's social care
£353.84 of your bill goes to children's social care at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £134.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Children looked after £177.44
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Safeguarding and social work £69.98
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Family support £60.91
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Children's centres and early years £20.33
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Asylum-seeking children £14.04
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Youth justice £6.27
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Services for young people £4.88
Education
£348.47 of your bill goes to education at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £484.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Primary schools £157.02
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Early years and nursery £77.93
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Special schools and alternative provision £49.36
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Other education £45.47
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Secondary schools £10.03
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Post-16 £8.66
Environment and regulation
£125.77 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £47.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Waste disposal £121.06
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Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £3.16
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Trading standards £1.48
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Recycling and waste minimisation £0.06
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Community safety and CCTV £0.01
Roads and transport
£66.28 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £25.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Road and bridge maintenance £42.75
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Street lighting (including energy) £15.86
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Winter service (gritting) £6.18
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Traffic management and road safety £1.50
Road and bridge maintenance
£42.75 of your bill goes to road and bridge maintenance at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £24.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenance £31.18
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) £11.56
Running the council
£57.34 of your bill goes to running the council at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £21.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £24.99
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Local welfare assistance £20.09
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Coroners' and other courts £6.53
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Elections and electoral registration £4.51
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Emergency planning £0.90
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £0.33
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£18.46 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £7.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Libraries £15.77
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Museums, arts, heritage and archives £2.35
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £0.34
Public health
£8.73 of your bill goes to public health at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £35.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Health visiting and children's 0-5 services £2.18
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Drug and alcohol services £1.98
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Sexual health £1.42
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Obesity and physical activity £0.79
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Other public health £0.60
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Children's 5-19 programmes £0.51
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Stop smoking and tobacco control £0.48
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NHS health checks and health protection £0.46
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Public mental health £0.31
Planning and development
£4.82 of your bill goes to planning and development at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £1.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Community development £2.61
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Planning applications (development management) £1.27
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Planning policy £0.94
Cambridgeshire County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase
£34.01 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 Cambridgeshire County Council's adult social care spending of £285.0m 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 £13.55
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Physical support £8.39
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £4.43
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Mental health support £2.70
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Care assessment and safeguarding £1.55
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Social support (carers, substance misuse, isolation, asylum) £0.84
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Information and early intervention £0.32
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Assistive equipment and technology £0.25
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Sensory support £0.17
Learning disability support
£13.55 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £113.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £11.83
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Aged 65 and over £1.72
Physical support
£8.39 of your bill goes to physical support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £70.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £6.65
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Aged 18 to 64 £1.74
Mental health support
£2.70 of your bill goes to mental health support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £22.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £1.57
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Aged 65 and over £1.13
Support with memory and cognition
£1.81 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £15.2m 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 £0.25
Sensory support
£0.17 of your bill goes to sensory support at Cambridgeshire County Council. Here is how its £1.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £0.11
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.06
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable
£314.37 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 Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable's adult social care spending of £189.6m 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.
Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority
£92.16 of your bill goes to Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. It is shared out below in proportion to how Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Fire and rescue £88.21
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Running the council £3.95
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 fire and rescue authorities closest in population: Humberside Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Mid and West Wales Fire Authority, Buckinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Berkshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, North Yorkshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, East Sussex Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority, Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Derbyshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Cheshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Fire and rescue
£88.21 of your bill goes to fire and rescue at Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £39.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Firefighting and rescue £79.07
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Community fire safety £8.78
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Fire emergency planning £0.35
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
£36.00 of your bill goes to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. It is shared out below in proportion to how Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Roads and transport £17.17
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Planning and development £8.58
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Education £8.16
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Running the council £1.79
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Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £0.06
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Environment and regulation £0.03
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Children's social care £0.01
No similar-council comparison: no comparison: no other body does the same mix of things.
Roads and transport
£17.17 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Here is how its £38.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Support for bus, rail and other public transport £7.66
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Concessionary bus fares £7.61
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Transport planning and policy £1.18
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Traffic management and road safety £0.64
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Parking £0.07
Planning and development
£8.58 of your bill goes to planning and development at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Here is how its £19.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Environmental initiatives £6.84
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Economic development and business support £1.67
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Community development £0.07
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Planning policy £0.01
Education
£8.16 of your bill goes to education at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Here is how its £18.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Other education £8.16
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Post-16 £0.00
Running the council
£1.79 of your bill goes to running the council at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Here is how its £4.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £0.99
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Elections and electoral registration £0.80
Housing (not council homes)
£0.19 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Here is how its £428k of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Housing strategy, advice and enabling £0.19
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £0.01
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. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority reported no Housing Revenue Account for 2025-26: it has no council homes of its own, or they were transferred to a housing association. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Parks, street cleaning and roads here
What South Cambridgeshire and Cambridgeshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Street cleaningDetails for Street cleaning | £922k | £5.28 | £13 | — | up 9.5% on 2024-25 |
| |||||
| 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) | £130k | £0.18 | £2.33 | — | — |
| |||||
Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £24.3m | £34 | £22 | £8,679 (similar: £5,441) | up 876.2% on 2024-25 |
| |||||
Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £17.7m | £25 | £17 | £6,332 (similar: £3,942) | up 1461.4% on 2024-25 |
| |||||
Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges)Details for Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) | £6.6m | £9.15 | £3.54 | £2,348 (similar: £845) | up 385.5% on 2024-25 |
| |||||
Winter service (gritting)Details for Winter service (gritting) | £3.5m | £4.89 | £4.34 | £1,254 (similar: £966) | down 17.7% on 2024-25 |
| |||||
Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £9.0m | £13 | £5.90 | £3,220 (similar: £1,408) | down 10.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|
Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £59 | £41 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £48 | £22 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £47 | £56 |
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Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £16 | £24 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £0.90 | £23 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £-0.03 | £-4.53 |
| ||
- South Cambridgeshire spent 50.5% 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.
| Service | Per resident | Median |
|---|---|---|
EducationDetails for Education | £675 | £736 |
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Adult social careDetails for Adult social care | £398 | £457 |
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Children's social careDetails for Children's social care | £188 | £242 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £67 | £57 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £49 | £53 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £35 | £68 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £30 | £21 |
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Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £9.88 | £2.98 |
| ||
Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £9.80 | £17 |
| ||
Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £2.56 | £5.56 |
| ||
- Cambridgeshire County Council spent 25.6% of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2025-26 (median for county councils: 28.8%); 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 South Cambridgeshire and everything else about South Cambridgeshire.
Common questions
- What does council tax pay for in South Cambridgeshire?
- A Band D bill of £2,536.25 is split between South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council: adult social care precept, this year's increase, Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, Cambridgeshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Parish and town councils (average for the area). In proportion to spending, the largest line is adult social care, £749.08.
- 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.