# Cambridge: spending over £500 url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/cambridge/ 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) # Cambridge: spending over £500 Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). Cambridge published **7,852 payments** of £500 or more between October 2025 and September 2026, worth **£133.8m** in all, to 1,361 suppliers. The largest total went to Cambridge Investment Partnership LLP: £22.8m across 43 payments. These are the council's own published records; the gaps in them are listed below. ## Key figures - £133.8mPaid in payments of £500 or more, latest year - 7,852Payments - 1,361Suppliers - 12 of 12Months with payments published ## What the council published - Octpublished - Novpublished - Decpublished - Janpublished - Febpublished - Marpublished - Aprpublished - Maypublished - Junpublished - Julpublished - Augpublished - Septpublished **Gaps and problems in the data, as published:** - 4 payments are dated after the day this was read, which cannot be right; they are left out. ## Top 50 suppliers by value Search | Supplier | Paid | Payments | | --- | --- | --- | | Cambridge Investment Partnership LLPDetails | £22,770,353 | 43 | | Payments43 | | | | Hill Partnerships LimitedDetails | £12,984,160 | 37 | | Payments37 | | | | South Cambridgeshire District CouncilDetails | £9,340,666 | 74 | | Payments74 | | | | TSG Building Services PLCDetails | £8,374,782 | 152 | | Payments152 | | | | Foster Property Maintenance LtdDetails | £7,752,742 | 203 | | Payments203 | | | | Aran Insulation LimitedDetails | £4,854,997 | 53 | | Payments53 | | | | Huntingdonshire District CouncilDetails | £4,297,018 | 65 | | Payments65 | | | | Comensura LtdDetails | £4,179,613 | 47 | | Payments47 | | | | Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL)Details | £3,591,872 | 34 | | Payments34 | | | | Cartwright Pickard Architects LtdDetails | £2,741,417 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | CWRP Relocation LtdDetails | £2,616,427 | 2 | | Payments2 | | | | Macbrook Gas LtdDetails | £2,121,577 | 108 | | Payments108 | | | | Total Gas & Power LtdDetails | £1,834,582 | 42 | | Payments42 | | | | Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local GovernmentDetails | £1,789,621 | 3 | | Payments3 | | | | Freeths LLPDetails | £1,449,970 | 29 | | Payments29 | | | | Thomson Webb & CorfieldDetails | £1,449,572 | 19 | | Payments19 | | | | Sir Robert McAlpine LtdDetails | £1,433,115 | 18 | | Payments18 | | | | Lawtech Group LtdDetails | £1,349,443 | 10 | | Payments10 | | | | Oak Construction & Maintenance LtdDetails | £1,281,616 | 58 | | Payments58 | | | | Cambridge Social Investments LimitedDetails | £1,065,754 | 4 | | Payments4 | | | | Chas Berger LtdDetails | £784,554 | 10 | | Payments10 | | | | Cambridgeshire County CouncilDetails | £775,686 | 33 | | Payments33 | | | | Total Clean CambridgeDetails | £690,711 | 73 | | Payments73 | | | | City Group Security LtdDetails | £641,371 | 81 | | Payments81 | | | | ESPODetails | £623,789 | 11 | | Payments11 | | | | Workman LLPDetails | £597,821 | 10 | | Payments10 | | | | Axis Europe plcDetails | £549,407 | 8 | | Payments8 | | | | University of CambridgeDetails | £529,219 | 12 | | Payments12 | | | | JGPS Consulting LLPDetails | £512,734 | 14 | | Payments14 | | | | David Powell t/a D J KitchensDetails | £459,546 | 157 | | Payments157 | | | | Bowsers SolicitorsDetails | £415,458 | 8 | | Payments8 | | | | Goodwin Cowley LimitedDetails | £403,768 | 4 | | Payments4 | | | | Goshen Multi-Services LtdDetails | £389,494 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | Potter Raper PartnershipDetails | £385,978 | 61 | | Payments61 | | | | King & Co SolicitorsDetails | £375,000 | 1 | | Payments1 | | | | Eastfield Guest House LtdDetails | £372,916 | 55 | | Payments55 | | | | Woodgrange Solicitors LLPDetails | £370,109 | 5 | | Payments5 | | | | Birketts LLPDetails | £369,661 | 5 | | Payments5 | | | | VolkerFitzpatrick LtdDetails | £344,374 | 3 | | Payments3 | | | | R J Warren LtdDetails | £341,999 | 56 | | Payments56 | | | | Warwick Estates Property Management LtdDetails | £340,435 | 19 | | Payments19 | | | | Fraser Dawbarns LLPDetails | £332,101 | 6 | | Payments6 | | | | Industrial Site Maintenance LtdDetails | £319,210 | 34 | | Payments34 | | | | Modern Democracy LtdDetails | £311,239 | 2 | | Payments2 | | | | Tanner & Hall Roofing & Solar Systems LtdDetails | £307,500 | 14 | | Payments14 | | | | Alliance Asbestos Services LtdDetails | £303,431 | 120 | | Payments120 | | | | Absolute Electrical & Renewables LtdDetails | £297,434 | 75 | | Payments75 | | | | Ashtons Legal LLP - Client AccountDetails | £296,348 | 4 | | Payments4 | | | | Gray & Sons Builders LtdDetails | £294,374 | 7 | | Payments7 | | | | Prompt Glazing LtdDetails | £290,567 | 233 | | Payments233 | | | ## Spending by category (our classification) Payments this site classifies into each category from the supplier and the council's description; most payments fall into none. The rules are on the [methodology page](/methodology/#spend-over-500). **Cambridge: payments by category (our classification)** - 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies £14,997,392 205 payments - 2. Consultancy and agency staff £11,793,263 766 payments - 3. Legal fees £3,582,220 180 payments - 4. IT and software £1,170,558 102 payments - 5. Catering and hospitality £237,548 27 payments - 6. Large outsourcing and contracting firms £142,665 63 payments - 7. Communications and PR £129,346 73 payments - 8. Conferences and events £57,925 29 payments - 9. Travel and accommodation £10,380 5 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies | £14,997,392 | | 2. Consultancy and agency staff | £11,793,263 | | 3. Legal fees | £3,582,220 | | 4. IT and software | £1,170,558 | | 5. Catering and hospitality | £237,548 | | 6. Large outsourcing and contracting firms | £142,665 | | 7. Communications and PR | £129,346 | | 8. Conferences and events | £57,925 | | 9. Travel and accommodation | £10,380 | **Payments to other councils and public bodies: largest suppliers** The supplier is another council, a police, fire or NHS body, a government department or agency, or a pension fund. - South Cambridgeshire District Council: £9,340,666 (74 payments) - Huntingdonshire District Council: £4,297,018 (65 payments) - Cambridgeshire County Council: £775,686 (33 payments) - HM Revenue & Customs (SDLT): £138,930 (8 payments) - Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust: £136,500 (3 payments) - Cambs & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust: £116,508 (4 payments) - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero - DESNZ: £89,454 (1 payment) - East Cambridgeshire District Council: £30,347 (3 payments) - Fenland District Council: £29,229 (4 payments) - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority: £26,000 (1 payment) **Large outsourcing and contracting firms: largest suppliers** The supplier is one of a named list of large firms that run council services under contract. A payment to one is often a routine instalment on a long contract. - VWS (UK) Limited t/a Veolia Water Technologies: £104,278 (53 payments) - Veolia ES (UK) Limited: £37,337 (9 payments) - Serco Limited: £1,050 (1 payment) **Legal fees: largest suppliers** The supplier is a law firm or chambers, or the council describes the payment as legal fees, counsel or court fees. - Freeths LLP: £1,449,970 (29 payments) - Bowsers Solicitors: £415,458 (8 payments) - King & Co Solicitors: £375,000 (1 payment) - Woodgrange Solicitors LLP: £370,109 (5 payments) - Edmondson Hall Solicitors: £259,669 (3 payments) - Sharpe Pritchard LLP: £152,537 (36 payments) - JGPS Consulting LLP: £78,024 (5 payments) - Trowers & Hamlins LLP: £74,783 (9 payments) - Francis Taylor Building: £65,798 (8 payments) - Morgan Has Solicitors Ltd Client Account: £55,000 (1 payment) **Consultancy and agency staff: largest suppliers** The supplier is a recruitment agency or consultancy on a named list, or the council describes the payment as consultancy, agency or interim staff, or professional fees. - Comensura Ltd: £4,179,613 (47 payments) - Cartwright Pickard Architects Ltd: £2,741,417 (15 payments) - Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd: £1,248,818 (14 payments) - Potter Raper Partnership: £382,728 (60 payments) - Goodwin Cowley Limited: £350,000 (1 payment) - Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited: £237,522 (87 payments) - Ernst & Young LLP: £219,473 (4 payments) - Calfordseaden LLP: £207,748 (20 payments) - The Sustainability Company Ltd: £196,408 (11 payments) - Buro Happold Ltd: £172,338 (9 payments) **IT and software: largest suppliers** The supplier is on a named list of IT and telecoms firms, or the council describes the payment as software, licences, IT, hardware, hosting or telephony. - Modern Democracy Ltd: £311,239 (2 payments) - Idox Software Limited: £263,789 (5 payments) - IEG4 Ltd: £104,000 (1 payment) - Civica UK Ltd: £88,897 (8 payments) - Technology One (UK) Limited: £60,385 (11 payments) - REEN Technologies Ltd: £41,940 (1 payment) - Locata (Housing Services) Ltd: £30,000 (2 payments) - Proactis Limited: £22,550 (1 payment) - Built Intelligence Ltd: £18,686 (13 payments) - Fluent Technology Ltd: £18,360 (1 payment) **Communications and PR: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as advertising, marketing, publicity or public relations. Recruitment and statutory notices are left out. - D2D Distribution Ltd: £17,496 (4 payments) - County Life Ltd: £15,975 (3 payments) - Bauer Radio Ltd: £9,508 (5 payments) - Earthsense Systems Ltd: £7,950 (1 payment) - Linkedin Ireland ULC: £7,325 (1 payment) - Rightmove Group Ltd: £6,910 (10 payments) - Ten4 Design Ltd: £6,300 (1 payment) - The Audience Agency: £5,000 (1 payment) - Wyse Media (UK) Ltd: £4,950 (3 payments) - Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd: £4,707 (7 payments) **Conferences and events: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as a conference, seminar, exhibition, event or venue hire. - The Performance Improvement People Ltd t/a LEEWAY: £16,406 (3 payments) - Safety Stars Ltd: £7,200 (2 payments) - Gower Consultants Ltd: £6,112 (1 payment) - Professional Development Group t/a MyPD: £4,338 (1 payment) - Ocean Media Group Ltd: £3,380 (4 payments) - CIPP: £2,997 (3 payments) - PPMA: £2,580 (1 payment) - IDEA - Improvement & Development Agency For Local Government: £2,250 (1 payment) - LABC: £2,250 (1 payment) - Anglia Ruskin University: £1,500 (1 payment) **Travel and accommodation: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as travel, fares, flights, subsistence or hotels. Homeless and temporary accommodation, and home to school and client transport, are left out. - The Universal Gift Card Company Ltd: £9,038 (4 payments) - Arundel House Hotel (Cambridge) Ltd: £1,342 (1 payment) **Catering and hospitality: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as catering, hospitality or refreshments. School meals are left out. - ABM Catering Ltd: £220,312 (10 payments) - Tower Leasing Ltd: £9,698 (9 payments) - Puddini Ltd: £2,379 (2 payments) - The Vending People Ltd: £2,129 (2 payments) - Proton (Southern) Ltd: £862 (1 payment) - PHS Group Ltd: £843 (1 payment) - King Street Cellar: £700 (1 payment) - Lemonthyme Ltd: £626 (1 payment) ## Spending by the council's own service areas **Cambridge: payments by service area, as the council labels them** - 1. E_invoicing Suspense Accounts £17,695,356 227 payments - 2. Development loan to CIP for Newbury Farm, ATS and Fanshawe £11,350,000 7 payments - 3. New Build - East Barnwell £8,861,327 32 payments - 4. Greater Cambridge Shared Waste £6,506,438 5 payments - 5. Insulation / Energy Efficiency £4,039,185 57 payments - 6. Fanshawe Road £3,920,531 26 payments - 7. Development of the Civic Quarter £3,862,792 75 payments - 8. Warm Homes: Local Grant - DESNZ funding £2,644,850 140 payments - 9. General Fund Balance Sheet £2,345,675 216 payments - 10. Leisure Contract £2,242,437 43 payments - 11. New Build - Newbury Farm £2,105,040 16 payments - 12. 3C ICT Shared Services £2,066,285 23 payments - 13. Greater Cambridge Shared Planning £1,832,906 8 payments - 14. Business Rates above SFA £1,716,026 1 payments - 15. Repairs Day to Day £1,678,776 260 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. E_invoicing Suspense Accounts | £17,695,356 | | 2. Development loan to CIP for Newbury Farm, ATS and Fanshawe | £11,350,000 | | 3. New Build - East Barnwell | £8,861,327 | | 4. Greater Cambridge Shared Waste | £6,506,438 | | 5. Insulation / Energy Efficiency | £4,039,185 | | 6. Fanshawe Road | £3,920,531 | | 7. Development of the Civic Quarter | £3,862,792 | | 8. Warm Homes: Local Grant - DESNZ funding | £2,644,850 | | 9. General Fund Balance Sheet | £2,345,675 | | 10. Leisure Contract | £2,242,437 | | 11. New Build - Newbury Farm | £2,105,040 | | 12. 3C ICT Shared Services | £2,066,285 | | 13. Greater Cambridge Shared Planning | £1,832,906 | | 14. Business Rates above SFA | £1,716,026 | | 15. Repairs Day to Day | £1,678,776 | | 16. New Build - Davy Road | £1,604,218 | | 17. Leisure Contract Client Costs | £1,462,954 | | 18. New Build - ATS, Histon Road | £1,438,887 | | 19. New Build - The Hawthorns, Haviland Way | £1,397,088 | | 20. Wall Structure | £1,303,143 | | 21. Clay Farm centre remedial works | £1,296,334 | | 22. Voids | £1,267,494 | | 23. Princess and Hanover | £1,149,502 | | 24. New Build - Ekin Road | £1,046,702 | | 25. East Barnwell new centre | £1,037,556 | ## Who is paid for grounds, street cleaning, roads and bins? The suppliers paid most for each kind of work, where the council's own labels say what the payment was for (our matching). A council that does the work with its own staff pays mostly wages, which are not in this data, so a short list here can mean the work is done in-house. **Parks and open spaces (including play areas): largest suppliers** - 1. Mercer Tree Services Ltd £137,699 55 payments - 2. R J Warren Ltd £125,097 26 payments - 3. Gaskin Brothers Ltd £80,619 27 payments - 4. S P Landscapes & Tree Contractors Ltd £76,500 30 payments - 5. Ace Connections (EAST) Limited £28,173 3 payments - 6. Eden Tree Specialists Ltd £27,550 14 payments - 7. Frontline Fabrication & Ironwork Co Ltd £26,750 9 payments - 8. Freeths LLP £19,967 5 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Mercer Tree Services Ltd | £137,699 | | 2. R J Warren Ltd | £125,097 | | 3. Gaskin Brothers Ltd | £80,619 | | 4. S P Landscapes & Tree Contractors Ltd | £76,500 | | 5. Ace Connections (EAST) Limited | £28,173 | | 6. Eden Tree Specialists Ltd | £27,550 | | 7. Frontline Fabrication & Ironwork Co Ltd | £26,750 | | 8. Freeths LLP | £19,967 | | 9. Splash Pads Enterprises Ltd | £19,874 | | 10. BH Doors & Engineering Ltd | £19,744 | **Street cleaning: largest suppliers** - 1. Bucher Municipal Ltd £180,193 2 payments - 2. B & G Cleaning Systems Ltd £29,999 1 payment - 3. R J Warren Ltd £25,203 6 payments - 4. Hako Machines Ltd £22,467 20 payments - 5. Thurlow Nunn Standen Ltd £18,773 10 payments - 6. Kersten (UK) Ltd £15,890 2 payments - 7. Priority Hire Ltd £12,210 10 payments - 8. Post office Ltd £12,184 7 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Bucher Municipal Ltd | £180,193 | | 2. B & G Cleaning Systems Ltd | £29,999 | | 3. R J Warren Ltd | £25,203 | | 4. Hako Machines Ltd | £22,467 | | 5. Thurlow Nunn Standen Ltd | £18,773 | | 6. Kersten (UK) Ltd | £15,890 | | 7. Priority Hire Ltd | £12,210 | | 8. Post office Ltd | £12,184 | | 9. Huntingdon Plant Hire Limited | £11,660 | | 10. Reactec Ltd | £8,884 | **Waste collection: largest suppliers** - 1. South Cambridgeshire District Council £128,437 16 payments - 2. D Carman BSSR Ltd £9,942 2 payments - 3. Eezee Movers Cambridge Ltd £1,440 1 payment - 4. Cortina Promotions Ltd £980 1 payment **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. South Cambridgeshire District Council | £128,437 | | 2. D Carman BSSR Ltd | £9,942 | | 3. Eezee Movers Cambridge Ltd | £1,440 | | 4. Cortina Promotions Ltd | £980 | ## Consultancy and agency against the pay bill Payments we classify as consultancy and agency staff came to **30.7%** of Cambridge's own staff costs in its 2025-26 revenue return, against a median of 9.8% for the other district councils in England read so far. The payments and the staff costs come from different sources and periods, so this is a guide to scale. ## Search every payment Searching needs JavaScript. Every payment is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E07000008.json). Every payment, as the council published it, is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E07000008.json); the search can download any selection as CSV. ## What this data does and doesn't show - It is the council's own record of payments of £500 or more. It leaves out salaries, most staff costs and many internal costs, so it is not the council's whole spending. - Descriptions are the council's own and vary in quality; some are codes, some are blank, and some supplier names are withheld to protect individuals. - A large payment to one supplier is often a routine instalment on a long contract that was tendered openly. - The categories and the matching to services are this site's classification from keywords, not the council's. The rules are on the [methodology page](/methodology/#spend-over-500). ## Sources Cambridge, spending over £500, [published here](https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/invoice-payments-over-500). Licence as the council states it: not stated. Checked 2026-09-24; files read 2026-09-29. **Every file read (3)** - [Payments to suppliers: April 2026 onwards [CSV, 0.6MB]](https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/media/kvin4u0a/payments-to-suppliers-2026-27.csv) (2026-04), file dated 2026-09-10: 3,788 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Payments to suppliers: April 2025 to March 2026 [CSV, 1.5MB]](https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/media/zgqjg0z5/payments-to-suppliers-2025-26.csv) (2025-04), file dated 2026-04-15: 9,072 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Payments to suppliers: April 2024 to March 2025 [CSV, 1MB]](https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/media/cmfbwrd5/payments-to-suppliers-2024-25.csv) (2024-04), file dated 2025-07-30: 9,076 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. ## Related pages - [Back to Council spending over £500](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/) - [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.