# Where your council tax goes in Dundee City url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/scotland/dundee-city/where-it-goes/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Where your council tax goes in Dundee City Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). A Band D council tax bill in **Dundee City** is **£1,729.69** for 2026-27, split between Dundee City £1,729.69. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is education at Dundee City: **£800.16** of the bill. Council tax pays for 9% of the council's own spending; the rest is government grant, business rates and fees. Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Key figures - £1,729.69Band D bill, 2026-27 As of 6 April 2026 - £1,729.69Goes to Dundee City itself (100%) As of 6 April 2026 - £800.16Largest line: education As of 3 February 2026 - 8.8%Of the council's money that comes from council tax, 2024-25 As of 3 February 2026 Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Who gets your bill Your council tax band A B C D E F G H Figures are for a **Band D** home. Bands A to H pay a fixed fraction of this, set in law. 1729.69 Dundee City 100% In Scotland the whole bill goes to the council. Police and fire have been funded nationally since 2013, and the water and sewerage charges on the same bill belong to Scottish Water. ## 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. ### Where the rest comes from **Council tax pays for 8.8%** of the money Dundee City had to spend in 2024-25. ********** - Council tax 8.8% £66.3m - Business rates 9.8% £73.7m - General government grant 42.5% £319.6m - Government grants for specific services 8.7% £65.2m - Fees, charges and other income 30.2% £227.3m Council tax is pooled with the council's other money, not ring-fenced for any service. The split on this page shares your bill out in proportion to what each body spends; it does not say what any one pound paid for. - Your bill ### Your bill: £1,729.69 - [Dundee City](#d-council) £1,729.69 ** Your council · 100.0% of the bill - [Your bill](#d-bill) - Dundee City ### Dundee City £1,729.69 of your bill goes to Dundee City. It is shared out below in proportion to how Dundee City spent its money in 2024-25, its latest published return. - [Education](#d-council~education) £800.16 ** 46.3% of this part · £199.1m in 2024-25 · £1,342 per resident; similar councils £1,413 · up 14.9% on 2023-24 - [Adult social care](#d-council~adult-social-care) £469.33 ** 27.1% of this part · £116.8m in 2024-25 · £787 per resident; similar councils £674 · up 7.7% on 2023-24 - Children's social care £158.86 ** 9.2% of this part · £39.5m in 2024-25 · £266 per resident; similar councils £195 · down 5.9% on 2023-24 - [Parks, leisure, libraries and culture](#d-council~culture-leisure) £102.90 ** 5.9% of this part · £25.6m in 2024-25 · £173 per resident; similar councils £119 · up 0.4% on 2023-24 - [Environment and regulation](#d-council~environment) £69.87 ** 4.0% of this part · £17.4m in 2024-25 · £117 per resident; similar councils £139 · up 8.2% on 2023-24 - [Running the council](#d-council~central) £69.72 ** 4.0% of this part · £17.4m in 2024-25 · £117 per resident; similar councils £91 · down 2.7% on 2023-24 - [Housing (not council homes)](#d-council~housing) £25.31 ** 1.5% of this part · £6.3m in 2024-25 · £42 per resident; similar councils £56 · up 3.2% on 2023-24 Not council homes: [see the note](#d-council~housing). - [Roads and transport](#d-council~highways-transport) £17.40 ** 1.0% of this part · £4.3m in 2024-25 · £29 per resident; similar councils £89 · down 31.9% on 2023-24 - [Planning and development](#d-council~planning-development) £16.14 ** 0.9% of this part · £4.0m in 2024-25 · £27 per resident; similar councils £34 · down 63.7% on 2023-24 **Which councils count as similar** Medians are across the 10 Scottish councils closest in population: Dumfries & Galloway, Perth & Kinross, Falkirk, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, West Lothian, Scottish Borders, East Lothian, Renfrewshire, Angus. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Education ### Education £800.16 of your bill goes to education at Dundee City. Here is how its £199.1m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Secondary schools £280.58 ** 35.1% of this · £69.8m in 2024-25 · £471 per resident; similar councils £523 · up 5.9% on 2023-24 - Primary schools £269.38 ** 33.7% of this · £67.0m in 2024-25 · £452 per resident; similar councils £511 · up 6.1% on 2023-24 - Early years and nursery £118.40 ** 14.8% of this · £29.5m in 2024-25 · £199 per resident; similar councils £177 · up 144.5% on 2023-24 - Special schools and alternative provision £105.57 ** 13.2% of this · £26.3m in 2024-25 · £177 per resident; similar councils £160 · up 3.9% on 2023-24 - Community learning £26.24 ** 3.3% of this · £6.5m in 2024-25 · £44 per resident; similar councils £15 · down 4.4% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Adult social care ### Adult social care £469.33 of your bill goes to adult social care at Dundee City. Here is how its £116.8m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Paid to the Integration Joint Board £442.59 ** 94.3% of this · £112.3m in 2024-25 · £757 per resident; similar councils £632 · up 7.6% on 2023-24 - Adult social care run by the council directly £25.91 ** 5.5% of this · £6.6m in 2024-25 · £44 per resident; similar councils £24 · up 5.8% on 2023-24 - Criminal justice social work £0.83 ** 0.2% of this · £210k in 2024-25 · £1.42 per resident; similar councils £2.22 · up 87.5% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Parks, leisure, libraries and culture ### Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £102.90 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Dundee City. Here is how its £25.6m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Sport and leisure £38.95 ** 37.9% of this · £9.7m in 2024-25 · £65 per resident; similar councils £37 · up 3.7% on 2023-24 - Museums, arts, heritage and archives £22.94 ** 22.3% of this · £5.7m in 2024-25 · £38 per resident; similar councils £17 · up 0.6% on 2023-24 - Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £22.69 ** 22.1% of this · £5.6m in 2024-25 · £38 per resident; similar councils £30 · down 2.6% on 2023-24 - Libraries £17.76 ** 17.3% of this · £4.4m in 2024-25 · £30 per resident; similar councils £16 · down 2.7% on 2023-24 - Tourism £0.56 ** 0.5% of this · £140k in 2024-25 · £0.94 per resident; similar councils £1.48 · up 1.4% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Environment and regulation ### Environment and regulation £69.87 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Dundee City. Here is how its £17.4m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Waste disposal £22.45 ** 32.1% of this · £5.6m in 2024-25 · £38 per resident; similar councils £55 · up 16.2% on 2023-24 - Waste collection £21.77 ** 31.2% of this · £5.4m in 2024-25 · £37 per resident; similar councils £38 · up 10.9% on 2023-24 - Other environmental services £12.59 ** 18.0% of this · £3.1m in 2024-25 · £21 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 6.5% on 2023-24 - Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £7.76 ** 11.1% of this · £1.9m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £12 · down 11.6% on 2023-24 - Trading standards £4.02 ** 5.8% of this · £1.0m in 2024-25 · £6.74 per resident; similar councils £6.30 · up 14.7% on 2023-24 - Cemeteries and crematoria £0.37 ** 0.5% of this · £91k in 2024-25 · £0.61 per resident; similar councils £1.33 · down 25.4% on 2023-24 - Not itemised in the return £0.91 ** 1.3% of this · £227k in 2024-25 · £1.53 per resident; similar councils £0.00 · down 11.7% on 2023-24 "Not itemised in the return" is the difference between the service total and the lines the return lists. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Running the council ### Running the council £69.72 of your bill goes to running the council at Dundee City. Here is how its £17.4m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Other central services £24.44 ** 35.1% of this · £6.1m in 2024-25 · £41 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 15.4% on 2023-24 - Corporate and democratic core £21.08 ** 30.2% of this · £5.3m in 2024-25 · £35 per resident; similar councils £24 · up 20.9% on 2023-24 - Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £10.10 ** 14.5% of this · £2.5m in 2024-25 · £17 per resident; similar councils £7.06 · down 4.1% on 2023-24 - Collecting council tax and business rates £8.19 ** 11.7% of this · £2.0m in 2024-25 · £14 per resident; similar councils £9.55 · down 18.4% on 2023-24 - Council tax and rates valuation £4.12 ** 5.9% of this · £1.0m in 2024-25 · £6.93 per resident; similar councils £6.69 · up 28.2% on 2023-24 - Elections and electoral registration £1.25 ** 1.8% of this · £313k in 2024-25 · £2.11 per resident; similar councils £2.87 · up 39.1% on 2023-24 - Registering births, deaths and marriages £0.54 ** 0.8% of this · £135k in 2024-25 · £0.91 per resident; similar councils £0.93 · up 46.7% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Housing (not council homes) ### Housing (not council homes) £25.31 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Dundee City. Here is how its £6.3m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £17.26 ** 68.2% of this · £4.4m in 2024-25 · £30 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 20.8% on 2023-24 - Supporting People and welfare services £4.87 ** 19.2% of this · £1.2m in 2024-25 · £8.39 per resident; similar councils £8.84 · down 32.7% on 2023-24 - Homelessness and temporary accommodation £1.99 ** 7.9% of this · £510k in 2024-25 · £3.44 per resident; similar councils £16 · up 0.6% on 2023-24 - Other General Fund housing £0.77 ** 3.0% of this · £196k in 2024-25 · £1.32 per resident; similar councils £9.79 · down 49.7% on 2023-24 - Private sector housing renewal £0.42 ** 1.7% of this · £108k in 2024-25 · £0.73 per resident; similar councils £2.00 **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. Dundee City's Housing Revenue Account took in £61.9m and spent £45.8m in 2024-25. [What council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#ring-fence). - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Roads and transport ### Roads and transport £17.40 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Dundee City. Here is how its £4.3m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Support for bus, rail and other public transport £6.00 ** 34.5% of this · £2.6m in 2024-25 · £17 per resident; similar councils £18 · down 2.8% on 2023-24 - Winter service (gritting) £3.99 ** 22.9% of this · £1.7m in 2024-25 · £12 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 9.5% on 2023-24 - Road and bridge maintenance £3.09 ** 17.8% of this · £1.3m in 2024-25 · £8.94 per resident; similar councils £33 · down 0.6% on 2023-24 - Street lighting (including energy) £2.26 ** 13.0% of this · £972k in 2024-25 · £6.55 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 3.5% on 2023-24 - Traffic management and road safety £1.91 ** 11.0% of this · £820k in 2024-25 · £5.53 per resident; similar councils £7.32 · down 38.2% on 2023-24 - Concessionary bus fares £0.15 ** 0.9% of this · £65k in 2024-25 · £0.44 per resident; similar councils £0.21 · up 4.8% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Dundee City](#d-council) - Planning and development ### Planning and development £16.14 of your bill goes to planning and development at Dundee City. Here is how its £4.0m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Planning policy £6.69 ** 41.4% of this · £1.7m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £4.77 · down 5.9% on 2023-24 - Economic development and business support £6.64 ** 41.1% of this · £1.7m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £24 · down 80.6% on 2023-24 - Building control £2.41 ** 14.9% of this · £600k in 2024-25 · £4.04 per resident; similar councils £-0.15 · down 9.0% on 2023-24 - Planning applications (development management) £0.40 ** 2.5% of this · £100k in 2024-25 · £0.67 per resident; similar councils £0.63 · down 13.8% on 2023-24 ## Parks, street cleaning and roads here What Dundee 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 | £5.6m | £38 | £30 | — | down 2.6% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£38Similar councils, per resident£30Per mile of road—Changedown 2.6% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Road and bridge maintenanceDetails | £1.3m | £8.94 | £33 | £3,517 (similar: £3,353) | down 0.6% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£8.94Similar councils, per resident£33Per mile of road£3,517 (similar: £3,353)Changedown 0.6% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Winter service (gritting)Details | £1.7m | £12 | £13 | £4,541 (similar: £2,173) | down 9.5% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£12Similar councils, per resident£13Per mile of road£4,541 (similar: £2,173)Changedown 9.5% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Street lighting (including energy)Details | £972k | £6.55 | £13 | £2,578 (similar: £2,590) | down 3.5% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£6.55Similar councils, per resident£13Per mile of road£2,578 (similar: £2,590)Changedown 3.5% on 2023-24 | | | | | | 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-council-tax-pays-for/#local-environment). ## What it adds up to | Service | Per resident | Median | | --- | --- | --- | | EducationDetails | £1,342 | £1,454 | | Median£1,454 | | | | Adult social careDetails | £787 | £695 | | Median£695 | | | | Children's social careDetails | £266 | £170 | | Median£170 | | | | Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails | £173 | £110 | | Median£110 | | | | Environment and regulationDetails | £117 | £139 | | Median£139 | | | | Running the councilDetails | £117 | £82 | | Median£82 | | | | Housing (not council homes)Details | £42 | £59 | | Median£59 | | | | Roads and transportDetails | £29 | £89 | | Median£89 | | | | Planning and developmentDetails | £27 | £35 | | Median£35 | | | - Dundee City spent **38.9%** of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2024-25 (median for Scottish councils: 42.2%); 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 - Scottish Government, [Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). Open Government Licence v3.0. - Scottish Government, [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx), published 3 February 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](/methodology/#council-spending). The dataset is on the [data page](/data/#council-spending). See also [council tax in Dundee City](/council-tax/scotland/dundee-city/) and [everything else about Dundee City](/your-area/dundee-city/). ## Common questions What does council tax pay for in Dundee City? A Band D bill of £1,729.69 is split between Dundee City. In proportion to spending, the largest line is education, £800.16.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 Assumptions: Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/) | Scottish Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx) | Scottish Government | 3 February 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | 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](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Related pages - [Next in this section: Parking income in Dundee City](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/parking/dundee-city/) - [Back to Dundee City: your area](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/your-area/dundee-city/) - [How much is council tax and what does it pay for?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/) - [Who is my MP, and what does their office cost?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/mps/) - [Where does my tax money actually go?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/for-every-100-pounds-of-tax/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.