In this section: Your area
Where your council tax goes in Wiltshire
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
A Band D council tax bill in Wiltshire is £2,571.78 for 2026-27, split between Wiltshire £1,943.41, Wiltshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase £37.74, Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable £298.27, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority £96.95, Parish and town councils (average for the area) £195.41. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is adult social care at Wiltshire: £746.21 of the bill. Council tax pays for 31% 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
- £2,571.78Band D bill, 2026-27
- £1,943.41Goes to Wiltshire itself (76%)
- £746.21Largest line: adult social care
- 31.4%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: £2,571.78
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Wiltshire £1,943.41
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Parish and town councils (average for the area) £195.41
Wiltshire
£1,943.41 of your bill goes to Wiltshire. It is shared out below in proportion to how Wiltshire spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Adult social care £746.21
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Education £387.77
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Children's social care £322.90
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Environment and regulation £180.43
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Roads and transport £105.12
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Housing (not council homes) £56.25
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Planning and development £32.04
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Running the council £30.16
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Public health £9.75
Before sharing out your bill, the part of education paid for by the Dedicated Schools Grant (£253.7m) and public health paid for by the public health grant (£20.4m) 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: Durham, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Somerset, West Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, Cheshire East, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Adult social care
£746.21 of your bill goes to adult social care at Wiltshire. Here is how its £233.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Physical support £289.77
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Learning disability support £271.23
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Mental health support £83.15
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Care assessment and safeguarding £23.58
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £23.10
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Sensory support £7.69
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Information and early intervention £7.58
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Assistive equipment and technology £1.51
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to adult social care came to £197.9m across 10,620 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- The Orders of St John Care Trust: £27.7m (122 payments)
- Voyage DCA Wiltshire: £7.0m (241 payments)
- Wessex Care Ltd: £6.9m (71 payments)
- Barchester Healthcare: £5.9m (177 payments)
- Cornerstones UK Ltd_110620: £4.7m (63 payments)
Physical support
£289.77 of your bill goes to physical support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £90.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £218.77
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Aged 18 to 64 £71.00
Learning disability support
£271.23 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £85.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £244.43
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Aged 65 and over £26.80
Mental health support
£83.15 of your bill goes to mental health support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £26.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £42.51
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Aged 65 and over £40.64
Support with memory and cognition
£38.61 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Wiltshire. Here is how its £12.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £33.94
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Aged 18 to 64 £4.67
Sensory support
£7.69 of your bill goes to sensory support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £2.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £4.53
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Aged 18 to 64 £3.16
Education
£387.77 of your bill goes to education at Wiltshire. Here is how its £375.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Primary schools £118.27
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Early years and nursery £77.74
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Special schools and alternative provision £72.41
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Other education £62.00
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Secondary schools £46.22
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Post-16 £11.12
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to education came to £78.7m across 10,575 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Aspris Children's Services: £8.5m (198 payments)
- Brunel Education: £4.7m (45 payments)
- Acorn Care and Education Ltd: £3.2m (116 payments)
- Spaghetti Bridge Ltd: £3.1m (131 payments)
- 24x7 Limited: £2.9m (879 payments)
Children's social care
£322.90 of your bill goes to children's social care at Wiltshire. Here is how its £101.2m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Children looked after £174.77
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Safeguarding and social work £86.49
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Family support £43.01
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Services for young people £12.22
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Children's centres and early years £4.11
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Youth justice £1.76
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Other children's and families' services £0.55
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to children's social care came to £39.7m across 3,934 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- HCRG Care Services Ltd: £8.3m (21 payments)
- Adoption West: £1.2m (1 payment)
- Caring for Communities and People: £931k (83 payments)
- RedJacket Specialist Care: £872k (16 payments)
- Positif Care Ltd: £834k (24 payments)
Environment and regulation
£180.43 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Wiltshire. Here is how its £56.5m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Waste disposal £78.12
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Waste collection £45.21
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Recycling and waste minimisation £34.60
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Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £12.00
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Street cleaning £6.74
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Other environmental services £1.96
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Trading standards £1.80
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to environment and regulation came to £75.2m across 578 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Hills Waste Solutions Limited: £38.7m (188 payments)
- Hills Municipal Collections Ltd: £23.0m (123 payments)
- FCC Recycling (UK) Ltd: £7.1m (26 payments)
- Ubico Limited: £5.0m (9 payments)
- Wiltshire Norse Limited: £312k (1 payment)
Roads and transport
£105.12 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Wiltshire. Here is how its £32.9m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Road and bridge maintenance £45.95
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Support for bus, rail and other public transport £30.21
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Concessionary bus fares £11.18
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Street lighting (including energy) £10.30
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Winter service (gritting) £6.25
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Traffic management and road safety £1.23
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to roads and transport came to £128.7m across 6,513 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- M Group Highways: £42.8m (1594 payments)
- M J Church Plant Ltd: £18.2m (19 payments)
- Tarmac Trading Ltd: £12.1m (246 payments)
- AtkinsRealis Ltd: £11.9m (740 payments)
- Kiely Bros Ltd: £8.6m (275 payments)
Road and bridge maintenance
£45.95 of your bill goes to road and bridge maintenance at Wiltshire. Here is how its £16.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenance £33.59
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) £12.36
Parks, leisure, libraries and culture
£72.78 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Wiltshire. Here is how its £22.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Sport and leisure £29.95
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Libraries £22.68
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Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £12.29
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Museums, arts, heritage and archives £7.86
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to parks, leisure, libraries and culture came to £14.4m across 1,321 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- idverde: £6.1m (34 payments)
- GM Coachwork Group: £1.2m (14 payments)
- Econ Engineering Ltd: £1.2m (23 payments)
- South West Truck & Van: £574k (2 payments)
- Lookers Ford Fleet: £529k (13 payments)
Housing (not council homes)
£56.25 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Wiltshire. Here is how its £17.6m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Housing strategy, advice and enabling £35.92
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Supporting People and welfare services £8.76
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Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £8.55
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Private sector housing renewal £1.57
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Homelessness and temporary accommodation £1.13
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Other General Fund housing £0.32
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to housing (not council homes) came to £370k across 97 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Kier Facilities Services Ltd: £107k (8 payments)
- Direct Cleaning Services SW Ltd: £85k (1 payment)
- Lorne Stewart PLC: £46k (2 payments)
- TravelPerk UK IRL Limited: £27k (4 payments)
- Bristol Wessex Billing Services Limited: £20k (5 payments)
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. Wiltshire's Housing Revenue Account took in £32.4m and spent £23.7m in 2025-26. What council tax does and doesn't pay for.
Planning and development
£32.04 of your bill goes to planning and development at Wiltshire. Here is how its £10.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Economic development and business support £13.52
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Planning applications (development management) £9.24
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Planning policy £8.04
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Building control £1.02
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Community development £0.22
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to planning and development came to £2.1m across 219 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Community First: £392k (3 payments)
- Names withheld by the council: £219k (40 payments)
- Severn Wye Energy Agency Ltd: £173k (3 payments)
- Context Planning Ltd: £157k (6 payments)
- Landmark Chambers: £117k (16 payments)
Running the council
£30.16 of your bill goes to running the council at Wiltshire. Here is how its £9.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Corporate and democratic core £15.25
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Elections and electoral registration £5.92
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Collecting council tax and business rates £5.22
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Coroners' and other courts £3.65
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Local welfare assistance £0.11
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to running the council came to £42.0m across 2,947 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Kier Facilities Services Ltd: £5.3m (353 payments)
- Ian Williams Ltd: £4.2m (67 payments)
- Wessex Electricals (Shaftesbury) Ltd: £4.0m (188 payments)
- Ultima Business Solutions Ltd: £3.5m (34 payments)
- Lorne Stewart PLC: £2.5m (153 payments)
Public health
£9.75 of your bill goes to public health at Wiltshire. Here is how its £23.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Health visiting and children's 0-5 services £2.89
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Drug and alcohol services £1.76
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Other public health £1.19
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Sexual health £1.09
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Public mental health £0.69
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Children's 5-19 programmes £0.68
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NHS health checks and health protection £0.60
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Obesity and physical activity £0.50
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Stop smoking and tobacco control £0.36
Named suppliers
In Wiltshire's own records of payments over £500 for 2025-09 to 2026-08, payments our keyword matching links to public health came to £10.4m across 610 payments. Those records leave out salaries, so they are not the whole cost.
- Turning Point_134580: £5.2m (20 payments)
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust: £1.3m (20 payments)
- FearFree Charity Limited: £1.2m (5 payments)
- Names withheld by the council: £437k (24 payments)
- Great Western Hospitals NHS Trust: £260k (17 payments)
Wiltshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase
£37.74 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 Wiltshire's adult social care spending of £233.8m 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 £14.66
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Learning disability support £13.72
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Mental health support £4.21
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Care assessment and safeguarding £1.19
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Commissioning, strategy and administration £1.17
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Sensory support £0.39
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Information and early intervention £0.38
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Assistive equipment and technology £0.08
Physical support
£14.66 of your bill goes to physical support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £90.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £11.06
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Aged 18 to 64 £3.59
Learning disability support
£13.72 of your bill goes to learning disability support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £85.0m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £12.36
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Aged 65 and over £1.36
Mental health support
£4.21 of your bill goes to mental health support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £26.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 18 to 64 £2.15
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Aged 65 and over £2.06
Support with memory and cognition
£1.95 of your bill goes to support with memory and cognition at Wiltshire. Here is how its £12.1m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £1.72
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.24
Sensory support
£0.39 of your bill goes to sensory support at Wiltshire. Here is how its £2.4m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Aged 65 and over £0.23
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Aged 18 to 64 £0.16
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable
£298.27 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 Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable's adult social care spending of £182.3m divided in 2024-25. MHCLG publishes only this year's increase; the running total since 2016-17 printed on your bill is in the council part above.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority
£96.95 of your bill goes to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority. It is shared out below in proportion to how Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority spent its money in 2025-26, its latest published return.
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Fire and rescue £92.89
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Running the council £4.06
Which councils count as similar
Medians are across the 10 fire and rescue authorities closest in population: South Wales Fire Authority, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Devon and Somerset Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Essex Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Kent Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Avon Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority, Nottinghamshire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates.
Fire and rescue
£92.89 of your bill goes to fire and rescue at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £74.8m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Firefighting and rescue £74.74
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Community fire safety £17.79
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Fire emergency planning £0.36
Running the council
£4.06 of your bill goes to running the council at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority. Here is how its £3.3m of net spending on it divides in the return.
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Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £2.46
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Corporate and democratic core £1.59
Parks, street cleaning and roads here
What Wiltshire 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) | £3.9m | £7.32 | £18 | — | up 2.4% on 2024-25 |
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Street cleaningDetails for Street cleaning | £2.1m | £4.01 | £11 | £750 (similar: £1,957) | down 2.2% on 2024-25 |
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Road and bridge maintenanceDetails for Road and bridge maintenance | £16.8m | £32 | £20 | £5,966 (similar: £5,042) | down 4.2% on 2024-25 |
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Environmental, safety and routine maintenanceDetails for Environmental, safety and routine maintenance | £12.3m | £23 | £18 | £4,360 (similar: £3,254) | up 0.5% on 2024-25 |
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Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges)Details for Structural maintenance (resurfacing, bridges) | £4.5m | £8.59 | £6.75 | £1,605 (similar: £1,810) | down 15.0% on 2024-25 |
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Winter service (gritting)Details for Winter service (gritting) | £2.3m | £4.34 | £3.78 | £811 (similar: £834) | up 0.3% on 2024-25 |
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Street lighting (including energy)Details for Street lighting (including energy) | £3.8m | £7.16 | £6.78 | £1,337 (similar: £1,427) | up 11.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|
EducationDetails for Education | £713 | £717 |
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Adult social careDetails for Adult social care | £444 | £483 |
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Children's social careDetails for Children's social care | £192 | £309 |
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Environment and regulationDetails for Environment and regulation | £107 | £111 |
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Roads and transportDetails for Roads and transport | £63 | £49 |
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Public healthDetails for Public health | £45 | £65 |
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Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails for Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | £43 | £38 |
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Housing (not council homes)Details for Housing (not council homes) | £33 | £34 |
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Planning and developmentDetails for Planning and development | £19 | £22 |
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Running the councilDetails for Running the council | £18 | £52 |
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- Wiltshire spent 31.7% 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 £828.9m between 2025-09 and 2026-08. 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 11.7% 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 Wiltshire and everything else about Wiltshire.
Common questions
- What does council tax pay for in Wiltshire?
- A Band D bill of £2,571.78 is split between Wiltshire, Wiltshire: adult social care precept, this year's increase, Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Parish and town councils (average for the area). In proportion to spending, the largest line is adult social care, £746.21.
- 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.