# Essex County Council: spending over £500 url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/essex-county-council/ 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) # Essex County Council: spending over £500 Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). Essex County Council published **259,305 payments** of £500 or more between September 2025 and August 2026, worth **£2.94bn** in all, to 6,290 suppliers. The largest total went to RINGWAY JACOBS LTD: £169.8m across 1690 payments. These are the council's own published records; the gaps in them are listed below. ## Key figures - £2.94bnPaid in payments of £500 or more, latest year - 259,305Payments - 6,290Suppliers - 12 of 12Months with payments published ## What the council published - Septpublished - Octpublished - Novpublished - Decpublished - Janpublished - Febpublished - Marpublished - Aprpublished - Maypublished - Junpublished - Julpublished - Augpublished **Gaps and problems in the data, as published:** - The council publishes every payment, whatever its size; payments under £500 are left out here so councils compare on the same footing. - 6364 credits and refunds (negative amounts, £97,925,889 in all) are included, so totals are net. ## Top 50 suppliers by value Search | Supplier | Paid | Payments | | --- | --- | --- | | RINGWAY JACOBS LTDDetails | £169,831,191 | 1,690 | | Payments1,690 | | | | SOUTHEND ON SEA CITY COUNCILDetails | £101,759,832 | 166 | | Payments166 | | | | ESSEX PFCC FRADetails | £75,393,617 | 17 | | Payments17 | | | | DIRECT PAYMENTDetails | £71,626,995 | 28,258 | | Payments28,258 | | | | RUNWOOD HOMES LTDDetails | £45,787,243 | 681 | | Payments681 | | | | HCRG CARE SERVICES LTDDetails | £41,898,884 | 43 | | Payments43 | | | | MITIE LTDDetails | £41,870,269 | 597 | | Payments597 | | | | INDAVER RIVENHALL LTDDetails | £38,780,067 | 118 | | Payments118 | | | | ESSEX CARES LTDDetails | £35,610,129 | 226 | | Payments226 | | | | 24 X 7 LTDDetails | £28,511,965 | 472 | | Payments472 | | | | PROVIDE COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANYDetails | £27,473,075 | 74 | | Payments74 | | | | TRAINING BURSARYDetails | £25,925,371 | 6,029 | | Payments6,029 | | | | OCTAVIUS INFRASTRUCTURE LTDDetails | £22,709,797 | 48 | | Payments48 | | | | EAST SUFFOLK & NORTH ESSEX NHS FTDetails | £20,442,410 | 52 | | Payments52 | | | | PAYMENT TO INDIVIDUALDetails | £19,586,727 | 4,047 | | Payments4,047 | | | | LEE VALLEY REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITYDetails | £17,819,966 | 12 | | Payments12 | | | | FIRST ESSEX BUSES LTDDetails | £17,315,091 | 91 | | Payments91 | | | | MORGAN SINDALL CONSTRUCTION & INFRA LTDDetails | £17,005,877 | 28 | | Payments28 | | | | MEDEQUIP ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY LTDDetails | £15,974,553 | 21 | | Payments21 | | | | DE VERE CARE PARTNERSHIP LTDDetails | £15,228,653 | 5,999 | | Payments5,999 | | | | NHS MID AND SOUTH ESSEX ICBDetails | £14,426,275 | 148 | | Payments148 | | | | MATRIX SCM LTDDetails | £14,329,799 | 8,597 | | Payments8,597 | | | | NORTH EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDetails | £12,863,652 | 26 | | Payments26 | | | | NHS ESSEX ICBDetails | £12,529,405 | 20 | | Payments20 | | | | PEABODY TRUSTDetails | £12,481,691 | 1,544 | | Payments1,544 | | | | ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDetails | £12,460,003 | 107 | | Payments107 | | | | ESSEX SCHOOLS LTDDetails | £12,385,696 | 41 | | Payments41 | | | | BEAUCHAMPS HIGH SCHOOLDetails | £10,945,383 | 40 | | Payments40 | | | | TLC CARE HOMES LTDDetails | £10,860,914 | 501 | | Payments501 | | | | LAMBERT SMITH HAMPTONDetails | £10,819,863 | 36 | | Payments36 | | | | ONE OFF NON INVOICEDetails | £9,810,364 | 740 | | Payments740 | | | | THERA EASTDetails | £9,238,078 | 1,359 | | Payments1,359 | | | | FOSTER CARE PAYMENTDetails | £8,999,001 | 12,240 | | Payments12,240 | | | | ST JOHN PAYNE CATHOLIC COMPREHENSIVE SCHDetails | £8,731,649 | 34 | | Payments34 | | | | COUNTYROUTE (A130) PLCDetails | £8,634,118 | 24 | | Payments24 | | | | GLENWOOD SCHOOLDetails | £8,350,316 | 53 | | Payments53 | | | | MINI CAB SERVICES COLCHESTER LTDDetails | £8,064,857 | 51 | | Payments51 | | | | QED (CLACTON) LTDDetails | £7,872,651 | 20 | | Payments20 | | | | KONECTBUS LTDDetails | £7,773,320 | 109 | | Payments109 | | | | ENVIRONMENT AGENCYDetails | £7,702,125 | 70 | | Payments70 | | | | PLUME SCHOOLDetails | £7,693,954 | 51 | | Payments51 | | | | ZERO THREE CARE HOMES LLPDetails | £7,546,543 | 189 | | Payments189 | | | | ACHIEVE TOGETHER LTDDetails | £7,395,471 | 560 | | Payments560 | | | | CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCILDetails | £7,357,542 | 159 | | Payments159 | | | | STEPHENSONS OF ESSEX LTDDetails | £7,066,550 | 57 | | Payments57 | | | | CFT CARE LTDDetails | £7,040,052 | 706 | | Payments706 | | | | CARE UK COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS LTDDetails | £6,958,876 | 141 | | Payments141 | | | | BOUYGUES (UK) LTDDetails | £6,664,480 | 8 | | Payments8 | | | | THE BECKMEAD TRUSTDetails | £6,601,627 | 61 | | Payments61 | | | | LIVING AMBITIONS LTDDetails | £6,566,900 | 929 | | Payments929 | | | ## 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). **Essex County Council: payments by category (our classification)** - 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies £249,352,424 3184 payments - 2. Large outsourcing and contracting firms £234,809,127 2416 payments - 3. Consultancy and agency staff £29,171,524 10548 payments - 4. IT and software £12,388,894 279 payments - 5. Legal fees £1,268,033 92 payments - 6. Travel and accommodation £1,264,907 861 payments - 7. Communications and PR £1,134,574 222 payments - 8. Payment card spending £974,215 1023 payments - 9. Catering and hospitality £63,507 41 payments - 10. Conferences and events £3,337 2 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies | £249,352,424 | | 2. Large outsourcing and contracting firms | £234,809,127 | | 3. Consultancy and agency staff | £29,171,524 | | 4. IT and software | £12,388,894 | | 5. Legal fees | £1,268,033 | | 6. Travel and accommodation | £1,264,907 | | 7. Communications and PR | £1,134,574 | | 8. Payment card spending | £974,215 | | 9. Catering and hospitality | £63,507 | | 10. Conferences and events | £3,337 | **Payment card spending: largest suppliers** Payments the council marks as made by purchase or credit card, where its file says so. - PCC* HAPPICABS: £48,794 (56 payments) - ONE4ALL: £30,005 (30 payments) - BKG*HOTEL AT BOOKING.C: £29,269 (28 payments) - ARGOS LTD: £26,743 (37 payments) - SRA: £19,265 (1 payment) - CURRYS ONLINE: £18,081 (25 payments) - AO.COM: £14,571 (20 payments) - IKEA LTD SHOP ONLINE: £13,979 (13 payments) - AMZNMKTPLACE: £11,854 (17 payments) - HOTEL AT BOOKING.COM: £11,351 (10 payments) **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. - SOUTHEND ON SEA CITY COUNCIL: £101,759,832 (166 payments) - EAST SUFFOLK & NORTH ESSEX NHS FT: £20,442,410 (52 payments) - NHS MID AND SOUTH ESSEX ICB: £14,426,275 (148 payments) - NORTH EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST: £12,863,652 (26 payments) - NHS ESSEX ICB: £12,529,405 (20 payments) - ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST: £12,460,003 (107 payments) - ENVIRONMENT AGENCY: £7,702,125 (70 payments) - CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL: £7,357,042 (158 payments) - BASILDON COUNCIL: £5,841,046 (153 payments) - BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL: £5,723,111 (149 payments) **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. - RINGWAY JACOBS LTD: £169,831,191 (1690 payments) - MITIE LTD: £41,870,269 (597 payments) - MORGAN SINDALL CONSTRUCTION & INFRA LTD: £17,005,877 (28 payments) - CAPITA BUSINESS SERVICES LTD: £3,035,495 (52 payments) - KIER CONSTRUCTION LTD: £2,390,658 (5 payments) - GLENDALE RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME LTD: £558,819 (13 payments) - AGILISYS LTD: £96,000 (1 payment) - BIFFA WASTE SERVICES LTD: £20,818 (30 payments) **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. - SHARPE PRITCHARD LLP: £829,780 (41 payments) - HOLMES & HILLS SOLICITORS: £162,068 (3 payments) - PAUL ROBINSON SOLICITORS LLP: £81,360 (2 payments) - H C CHAMBERS & SON LTD: £75,491 (17 payments) - ESSEX CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY: £42,600 (4 payments) - PINSENT MASONS LLP: £30,408 (2 payments) - FORBES SOLICITORS LLP: £16,139 (10 payments) - BROWNE JACOBSON LLP: £12,425 (5 payments) - ANTHONY COLLINS SOLICITORS LLP: £7,200 (1 payment) - WILKIN CHAPMAN LLP: £5,557 (4 payments) **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. - MATRIX SCM LTD: £14,329,799 (8597 payments) - BLOOM PROCUREMENT SERVICES LTD: £2,908,094 (118 payments) - PROACTIVE MEDICARE: £1,632,559 (719 payments) - COLCHESTER INSTITUTE: £1,205,000 (2 payments) - DYNAMIC NEW ANGLIAN NETWORKS: £746,157 (68 payments) - HEALTHWATCH ESSEX LTD: £504,500 (17 payments) - ERNST & YOUNG LLP: £477,665 (4 payments) - LETS DO BUSINESS (SOUTH EAST) GROUP LIMITED: £458,654 (13 payments) - CHELMSFORD CHURCHES HOMELESS SUPPORT SCHEME CHESS: £331,800 (6 payments) - FIRST ESSEX BUSES LTD: £257,000 (1 payment) **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. - PHOENIX SOFTWARE LTD: £4,381,978 (43 payments) - CDW LTD: £3,872,454 (65 payments) - INSIGHT DIRECT (UK) LTD: £2,048,018 (40 payments) - BT PLC: £601,369 (17 payments) - DAISY CHAIN NURSERY: £463,364 (20 payments) - BYTES SOFTWARE SERVICES LTD: £234,081 (3 payments) - MICROSOFT LTD: £223,905 (1 payment) - XMA LIMITED: £149,038 (12 payments) - VIRGIN MEDIA LTD: £124,616 (6 payments) - MOSAIC FOSTER CARE LTD: £78,214 (12 payments) **Communications and PR: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as advertising, marketing, publicity or public relations. Recruitment and statutory notices are left out. - PEOPLESCOUT LTD: £751,011 (142 payments) - BLUE TIGER MARKETING LTD: £146,779 (9 payments) - FOUR AGENCY WORLDWIDE LTD: £63,740 (10 payments) - RANCH CREATIVE LTD: £31,980 (8 payments) - SME HCI LTD: £25,653 (1 payment) - NEWSQUEST MEDIA GROUP LTD: £24,450 (8 payments) - ENGLAND'S COAST COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY: £10,850 (1 payment) - ALUPRO: £9,999 (1 payment) - JW PRESS LTD: £9,938 (8 payments) - DEADLINE COMMUNICATIONS LTD: £7,850 (2 payments) **Conferences and events: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as a conference, seminar, exhibition, event or venue hire. - ONE OFF NON INVOICE: £2,000 (1 payment) - ECC EMPLOYEE: £1,337 (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. - NON EMPLOYEE EXPENSE: £1,104,548 (773 payments) - ONE OFF CORONERS EXPENSES: £50,298 (23 payments) - ONE OFF TRAVEL EXPENSES: £24,135 (20 payments) - SOFTWAREONE UK LTD: £19,133 (2 payments) - FIRST ESSEX BUSES LTD: £16,427 (10 payments) - ONE OFF NON INVOICE: £13,441 (8 payments) - ONE OFF UNDER £10K: £8,522 (1 payment) - AJS AND AMBER TAXI LTD: £6,096 (2 payments) - STEPHENSONS OF ESSEX LTD: £6,065 (1 payment) - CHILDRENS SOCIAL CARE HARLOW 01375313: £5,063 (2 payments) **Catering and hospitality: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as catering, hospitality or refreshments. School meals are left out. - NISBETS PLC: £23,239 (5 payments) - S&K HOSPITALITY LTD: £7,425 (3 payments) - LAMBRO REFRIGERATION LTD: £7,174 (6 payments) - SARAHS CATERING LTD: £5,816 (8 payments) - DOWN HALL HOTEL LTD: £3,736 (2 payments) - HOBART UK: £3,017 (2 payments) - JP S KITCHEN LTD: £1,972 (1 payment) - CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE: £1,500 (1 payment) - ONE OFF UNDER £10K: £1,445 (1 payment) - MARKSHALL ESTATE: £1,379 (1 payment) ## Spending by the council's own service areas **Essex County Council: payments by service area, as the council labels them** - 1. ADULT SOCIAL CARE £856,862,925 161719 payments - 2. EDUCATION - DSG £831,493,520 33294 payments - 3. CENTRAL & OTH OPERATING COSTS £271,778,305 3242 payments - 4. CHILDREN & FAMILIES NON-DSG £221,476,023 28557 payments - 5. CLIMATE ENV & CUST SERV £177,997,058 8717 payments - 6. NDR POOL E2 £170,184,358 17 payments - 7. PLACE AND CUSTOMER £88,489,095 5294 payments - 8. BETTER CARE FUND £81,786,051 126 payments - 9. POLICY PEOPLE ECONOMY & PH NDSG £77,252,180 6111 payments - 10. CHILDREN & FAMILIES DSG £49,450,273 646 payments - 11. EDUCATION - NON DSG £39,248,752 4690 payments - 12. CORPORATE SERVICES £37,795,603 4173 payments - 13. POOLED BUDGET £15,974,553 21 payments - 14. SAFER ESSEX ROADS PARTNERSHIP E2 £8,715,742 938 payments - 15. POLICY PEOPLE ECONOMY & PH DSG £3,408,251 110 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. ADULT SOCIAL CARE | £856,862,925 | | 2. EDUCATION - DSG | £831,493,520 | | 3. CENTRAL & OTH OPERATING COSTS | £271,778,305 | | 4. CHILDREN & FAMILIES NON-DSG | £221,476,023 | | 5. CLIMATE ENV & CUST SERV | £177,997,058 | | 6. NDR POOL E2 | £170,184,358 | | 7. PLACE AND CUSTOMER | £88,489,095 | | 8. BETTER CARE FUND | £81,786,051 | | 9. POLICY PEOPLE ECONOMY & PH NDSG | £77,252,180 | | 10. CHILDREN & FAMILIES DSG | £49,450,273 | | 11. EDUCATION - NON DSG | £39,248,752 | | 12. CORPORATE SERVICES | £37,795,603 | | 13. POOLED BUDGET | £15,974,553 | | 14. SAFER ESSEX ROADS PARTNERSHIP E2 | £8,715,742 | | 15. POLICY PEOPLE ECONOMY & PH DSG | £3,408,251 | | 16. TRADED - SOCIAL CARE & EDUCATION | £1,275,524 | | 17. TRANSFORMING CARE POOLED BUDG | £799,319 | | 18. TRADED - CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT | £673,222 | | 19. CHILDRENS SERVICES NON DSG | £436,130 | | 20. ESSEX COUNTY TRAVELLER UNIT E2 | £401,666 | | 21. FIN, RES AND CORP AFF RSSS | £105,820 | | 22. COMM, EQUAL, PARTNER AND PERF | £91,930 | | 23. HEALTH AND ADULT SOCIAL CARE | £91,246 | | 24. DEVOL, ART HERIT AND CULTURE | £72,132 | | 25. EDU EXCEL, SKILLS AND TRAIN NON DSG | £44,486 | ## 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. ROMAN RIVER TREES LTD £380,216 82 payments - 2. CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL £274,621 1 payment - 3. FARM & COUNTRY SUPPLIES LTD £232,336 8 payments - 4. EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL £161,900 5 payments - 5. BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL £151,253 2 payments - 6. CASTLE POINT BOROUGH COUNCIL £133,320 2 payments - 7. ASCENDING ARBS TREE SERVICES LTD £122,976 40 payments - 8. MALDON DISTRICT COUNCIL £114,766 2 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. ROMAN RIVER TREES LTD | £380,216 | | 2. CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL | £274,621 | | 3. FARM & COUNTRY SUPPLIES LTD | £232,336 | | 4. EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL | £161,900 | | 5. BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL | £151,253 | | 6. CASTLE POINT BOROUGH COUNCIL | £133,320 | | 7. ASCENDING ARBS TREE SERVICES LTD | £122,976 | | 8. MALDON DISTRICT COUNCIL | £114,766 | | 9. MERCER TREE SERVICES LTD | £105,555 | | 10. ROCHFORD DISTRICT COUNCIL | £100,581 | **Waste collection: largest suppliers** - 1. ENVAR COMPOSTING LTD £14,955 19 payments - 2. CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL £860 1 payment **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. ENVAR COMPOSTING LTD | £14,955 | | 2. CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL | £860 | ## Consultancy and agency against the pay bill Payments we classify as consultancy and agency staff came to **4.0%** of Essex County Council's own staff costs in its 2025-26 revenue return, against a median of 2.7% for the other county councils 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/E10000012.json). Every payment, as the council published it, is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E10000012.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 Essex County Council, spending over £500, [published here](https://www.essex.gov.uk/about-council/spending-and-council-tax/finance-and-spending-breakdowns). Licence as the council states it: Open Government Licence v3.0. Checked 2026-09-24; files read 2026-09-29. **Every file read (5)** - [July to September 2026 (XLS, 10.49MB)](https://www.essex.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/Day_to_day_spending_-_Essex_County_Council_-_July_to_September_2026.xls) (2026-09), file dated 2026-09-17: 44,693 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [April to June 2026 (XLS, 4.64MB)](https://www.essex.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-07/Day%20to%20day%20spending%20-%20April%20to%20June%202026.xlsx) (2026-06), file dated 2026-07-15: 65,595 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [January to March 2026 (XLS, 4.51 MB)](https://www.essex.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/January%20to%20March%202026%20-%20day%20to%20day%20spending%20-%20Essex%20County%20Council.xlsx) (2026-03), file dated 2026-04-13: 63,765 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [October to December 2025 (XLS, 4.94 MB)](https://www.essex.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/Day%20to%20day%20spending%20-%20October%20to%20December%202025%20-%2013.01.26.xlsx) (2025-12), file dated 2026-01-13: 65,226 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [July to September 2025 (XLS, 14.84 MB)](https://www.essex.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/July%20to%20September%202025%20-%20Published%20data.xls) (2025-09), file dated 2025-10-09: 62,593 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.