# Where your council tax goes in Falkirk url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/scotland/falkirk/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 Falkirk Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). A Band D council tax bill in **Falkirk** is **£1,715.09** for 2026-27, split between Falkirk £1,715.09. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is education at Falkirk: **£894.57** of the bill. Council tax pays for 11% 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 - £1,715.09Band D bill, 2026-27 As of 6 April 2026 - £1,715.09Goes to Falkirk itself (100%) As of 6 April 2026 - £894.57Largest line: education As of 3 February 2026 - 11.3%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. 1715.09 Falkirk 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 11.3%** of the money Falkirk had to spend in 2024-25. ********** - Council tax 11.3% £78.6m - Business rates 10.5% £73.0m - General government grant 45.0% £311.9m - Government grants for specific services 8.0% £55.6m - Fees, charges and other income 25.1% £174.0m 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: £1,715.09 - [Falkirk](#d-council) £1,715.09 ** Your council · 100.0% of the bill - [Your bill](#d-bill) - Falkirk ### Falkirk £1,715.09 of your bill goes to Falkirk. It is shared out below in proportion to how Falkirk spent its money in 2024-25, its latest published return. - [Education](#d-council~education) £894.57 ** 52.2% of this part · £233.7m in 2024-25 · £1,459 per resident; similar councils £1,393 · up 10.3% on 2023-24 - [Adult social care](#d-council~adult-social-care) £419.44 ** 24.5% of this part · £109.6m in 2024-25 · £684 per resident; similar councils £686 · up 9.9% on 2023-24 - Children's social care £120.47 ** 7.0% of this part · £31.5m in 2024-25 · £196 per resident; similar councils £199 · down 0.3% on 2023-24 - [Environment and regulation](#d-council~environment) £66.49 ** 3.9% of this part · £17.4m in 2024-25 · £108 per resident; similar councils £139 · up 0.5% on 2023-24 - [Parks, leisure, libraries and culture](#d-council~culture-leisure) £64.44 ** 3.8% of this part · £16.8m in 2024-25 · £105 per resident; similar councils £122 · down 3.0% on 2023-24 - [Running the council](#d-council~central) £60.09 ** 3.5% of this part · £15.7m in 2024-25 · £98 per resident; similar councils £91 · up 7.7% on 2023-24 - [Roads and transport](#d-council~highways-transport) £35.22 ** 2.1% of this part · £9.2m in 2024-25 · £57 per resident; similar councils £89 · down 13.1% on 2023-24 - [Housing (not council homes)](#d-council~housing) £32.22 ** 1.9% of this part · £8.4m in 2024-25 · £53 per resident; similar councils £52 · up 19.6% on 2023-24 Not council homes: [see the note](#d-council~housing). - [Planning and development](#d-council~planning-development) £22.16 ** 1.3% of this part · £5.8m in 2024-25 · £36 per resident; similar councils £31 · up 11.2% on 2023-24 **Which councils count as similar** Medians are across the 10 Scottish councils closest in population: Perth & Kinross, Dundee City, Dumfries & Galloway, West Lothian, Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Scottish Borders, East Lothian, Angus. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Education ### Education £894.57 of your bill goes to education at Falkirk. Here is how its £233.7m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Secondary schools £324.91 ** 36.3% of this · £84.9m in 2024-25 · £530 per resident; similar councils £516 · up 3.7% on 2023-24 - Primary schools £316.12 ** 35.3% of this · £82.6m in 2024-25 · £515 per resident; similar councils £506 · up 4.3% on 2023-24 - Early years and nursery £124.40 ** 13.9% of this · £32.5m in 2024-25 · £203 per resident; similar councils £177 · up 86.8% on 2023-24 - Special schools and alternative provision £119.10 ** 13.3% of this · £31.1m in 2024-25 · £194 per resident; similar councils £160 · up 2.8% on 2023-24 - Community learning £10.04 ** 1.1% of this · £2.6m in 2024-25 · £16 per resident; similar councils £15 · down 18.0% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Adult social care ### Adult social care £419.44 of your bill goes to adult social care at Falkirk. Here is how its £109.6m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Paid to the Integration Joint Board £386.12 ** 92.1% of this · £100.9m in 2024-25 · £630 per resident; similar councils £658 · up 9.0% on 2023-24 - Adult social care run by the council directly £26.73 ** 6.4% of this · £7.0m in 2024-25 · £44 per resident; similar councils £24 · up 33.5% on 2023-24 - Other adult services £5.31 ** 1.3% of this · £1.4m in 2024-25 · £8.66 per resident; similar councils £7.51 · down 24.1% on 2023-24 - Criminal justice social work £1.28 ** 0.3% of this · £335k in 2024-25 · £2.09 per resident; similar councils £1.88 · up 196.5% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Environment and regulation ### Environment and regulation £66.49 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Falkirk. Here is how its £17.4m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Waste disposal £19.61 ** 29.5% of this · £5.4m in 2024-25 · £34 per resident; similar councils £55 · up 7.4% on 2023-24 - Other environmental services £16.72 ** 25.1% of this · £4.6m in 2024-25 · £29 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 2.0% on 2023-24 - Waste collection £16.46 ** 24.8% of this · £4.6m in 2024-25 · £28 per resident; similar councils £38 · up 2.1% on 2023-24 - Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £8.63 ** 13.0% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £15 per resident; similar councils £12 · up 6.7% on 2023-24 - Trading standards £4.32 ** 6.5% of this · £1.2m in 2024-25 · £7.47 per resident; similar councils £6.30 · up 19.5% on 2023-24 - Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £0.75 ** 1.1% of this · £208k in 2024-25 · £1.30 per resident; similar councils £2.86 · down 60.8% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Parks, leisure, libraries and culture ### Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £64.44 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Falkirk. Here is how its £16.8m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Sport and leisure £28.07 ** 43.6% of this · £7.3m in 2024-25 · £46 per resident; similar councils £37 · up 0.8% on 2023-24 - Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £15.35 ** 23.8% of this · £4.0m in 2024-25 · £25 per resident; similar councils £34 · down 9.2% on 2023-24 - Libraries £11.60 ** 18.0% of this · £3.0m in 2024-25 · £19 per resident; similar councils £17 · up 1.7% on 2023-24 - Museums, arts, heritage and archives £9.34 ** 14.5% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £15 per resident; similar councils £20 · down 9.1% on 2023-24 - Tourism £0.07 ** 0.1% of this · £19k in 2024-25 · £0.12 per resident; similar councils £1.48 · up 280.0% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Running the council ### Running the council £60.09 of your bill goes to running the council at Falkirk. Here is how its £15.7m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Corporate and democratic core £14.57 ** 24.3% of this · £3.8m in 2024-25 · £24 per resident; similar councils £26 · up 3.6% on 2023-24 - Other central services £12.73 ** 21.2% of this · £3.3m in 2024-25 · £21 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 21.0% on 2023-24 - Collecting council tax and business rates £11.43 ** 19.0% of this · £3.0m in 2024-25 · £19 per resident; similar councils £9.55 · up 85.8% on 2023-24 - Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £7.98 ** 13.3% of this · £2.1m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £7.06 · up 21.6% on 2023-24 - Council tax and rates valuation £4.74 ** 7.9% of this · £1.2m in 2024-25 · £7.73 per resident; similar councils £6.33 · up 6.0% on 2023-24 - Elections and electoral registration £1.79 ** 3.0% of this · £467k in 2024-25 · £2.91 per resident; similar councils £2.63 · up 8.4% on 2023-24 - Registering births, deaths and marriages £0.95 ** 1.6% of this · £247k in 2024-25 · £1.54 per resident; similar councils £0.82 · no change on 2023-24 - Emergency planning £0.62 ** 1.0% of this · £163k in 2024-25 · £1.02 per resident; similar councils £0.87 · down 30.6% on 2023-24 - Not itemised in the return £5.28 ** 8.8% of this · £1.4m in 2024-25 · £8.61 per resident; similar councils £1.40 · up 6.5% 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) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Roads and transport ### Roads and transport £35.22 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Falkirk. Here is how its £9.2m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Traffic management and road safety £9.88 ** 28.0% of this · £2.7m in 2024-25 · £17 per resident; similar councils £6.24 · up 32.8% on 2023-24 - Support for bus, rail and other public transport £8.76 ** 24.9% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £15 per resident; similar councils £18 · down 7.4% on 2023-24 - Road and bridge maintenance £7.63 ** 21.7% of this · £2.1m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £33 · down 36.6% on 2023-24 - Street lighting (including energy) £6.43 ** 18.3% of this · £1.8m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £13 · up 0.4% on 2023-24 - Winter service (gritting) £2.46 ** 7.0% of this · £677k in 2024-25 · £4.23 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 39.7% on 2023-24 - Concessionary bus fares £0.07 ** 0.2% of this · £18k in 2024-25 · £0.11 per resident; similar councils £0.33 · down 60.0% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Housing (not council homes) ### Housing (not council homes) £32.22 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Falkirk. Here is how its £8.4m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Housing benefit administration and discretionary payments £11.86 ** 36.8% of this · £3.5m in 2024-25 · £22 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 18.6% on 2023-24 - Supporting People and welfare services £10.16 ** 31.5% of this · £3.0m in 2024-25 · £19 per resident; similar councils £8.31 · up 27.6% on 2023-24 - Homelessness and temporary accommodation £7.53 ** 23.4% of this · £2.2m in 2024-25 · £14 per resident; similar councils £14 · up 8.5% on 2023-24 - Private sector housing renewal £1.67 ** 5.2% of this · £487k in 2024-25 · £3.04 per resident; similar councils £1.70 · up 64.0% on 2023-24 - Other General Fund housing £1.00 ** 3.1% of this · £293k in 2024-25 · £1.83 per resident; similar councils £9.79 · down 20.6% on 2023-24 **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. Falkirk's Housing Revenue Account took in £75.5m and spent £52.4m in 2024-25. [What council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#ring-fence). - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Falkirk](#d-council) - Planning and development ### Planning and development £22.16 of your bill goes to planning and development at Falkirk. Here is how its £5.8m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Economic development and business support £16.12 ** 72.7% of this · £4.2m in 2024-25 · £26 per resident; similar councils £20 · up 19.2% on 2023-24 - Planning policy £2.32 ** 10.4% of this · £605k in 2024-25 · £3.78 per resident; similar councils £5.93 · up 28.7% on 2023-24 - Planning applications (development management) £1.81 ** 8.2% of this · £474k in 2024-25 · £2.96 per resident; similar councils £0.47 · down 30.9% on 2023-24 - Building control £1.11 ** 5.0% of this · £291k in 2024-25 · £1.82 per resident; similar councils £-0.15 · down 14.7% on 2023-24 - Environmental initiatives £0.80 ** 3.6% of this · £209k in 2024-25 · £1.30 per resident; similar councils £1.10 · up 18.1% on 2023-24 ## Parks, street cleaning and roads here What Falkirk 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 | £4.0m | £25 | £34 | — | down 9.2% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£25Similar councils, per resident£34Per mile of road—Changedown 9.2% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Road and bridge maintenanceDetails | £2.1m | £13 | £33 | £3,585 (similar: £3,319) | down 36.6% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£13Similar councils, per resident£33Per mile of road£3,585 (similar: £3,319)Changedown 36.6% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Winter service (gritting)Details | £677k | £4.23 | £13 | £1,155 (similar: £2,369) | down 39.7% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£4.23Similar councils, per resident£13Per mile of road£1,155 (similar: £2,369)Changedown 39.7% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Street lighting (including energy)Details | £1.8m | £11 | £13 | £3,024 (similar: £2,368) | up 0.4% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£11Similar councils, per resident£13Per mile of road£3,024 (similar: £2,368)Changeup 0.4% 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 | £1,459 | £1,442 | | Median£1,442 | | | | Adult social careDetails | £684 | £707 | | Median£707 | | | | Children's social careDetails | £196 | £170 | | Median£170 | | | | Environment and regulationDetails | £108 | £139 | | Median£139 | | | | Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails | £105 | £115 | | Median£115 | | | | Running the councilDetails | £98 | £82 | | Median£82 | | | | Roads and transportDetails | £57 | £89 | | Median£89 | | | | Housing (not council homes)Details | £53 | £59 | | Median£59 | | | | Planning and developmentDetails | £36 | £34 | | Median£34 | | | - Falkirk spent **42.3%** of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2024-25 (median for Scottish councils: 41.9%); 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 Falkirk](/council-tax/scotland/falkirk/) and [everything else about Falkirk](/your-area/falkirk/). ## Common questions What does council tax pay for in Falkirk? A Band D bill of £1,715.09 is split between Falkirk. In proportion to spending, the largest line is education, £894.57.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 Falkirk](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/parking/falkirk/) - [Back to Falkirk: your area](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/your-area/falkirk/) - [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.