# Plymouth: spending over £500 url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/plymouth/ 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) # Plymouth: spending over £500 Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). Plymouth published **164,190 payments** of £500 or more between September 2025 and August 2026, worth **£581.8m** in all, to 2,374 suppliers. The largest total went to NHS Devon ICB: £21.5m across 72 payments. These are the council's own published records; the gaps in them are listed below. ## Key figures - £581.8mPaid in payments of £500 or more, latest year - 164,190Payments - 2,374Suppliers - 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:** - 12.6% of payments (£39,361,306) have the supplier name withheld or redacted by the council, usually because the payee is an individual. ## Top 50 suppliers by value Search | Supplier | Paid | Payments | | --- | --- | --- | | *Names withheld by the council*Details | £39,361,306 | 20,707 | | Payments20,707 | | | | NHS Devon ICBDetails | £21,530,078 | 72 | | Payments72 | | | | Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure LtdDetails | £14,949,619 | 28 | | Payments28 | | | | South West HighwaysDetails | £14,871,946 | 2,228 | | Payments2,228 | | | | Plymouth Citybus LtdDetails | £14,392,172 | 133 | | Payments133 | | | | Delt Shared Services LtdDetails | £13,821,195 | 567 | | Payments567 | | | | Harbour Centre (Plymouth) Alliance FundingDetails | £11,864,785 | 135 | | Payments135 | | | | Keys Group PCEDetails | £10,412,676 | 1,070 | | Payments1,070 | | | | Balfour Beatty LtdDetails | £10,068,382 | 33 | | Payments33 | | | | Matrix SCM LimitedDetails | £8,926,944 | 66 | | Payments66 | | | | Devon Contractors LtdDetails | £8,796,275 | 17 | | Payments17 | | | | Cambian Childcare LimitedDetails | £8,760,942 | 1,011 | | Payments1,011 | | | | Pyramid Schools (Plymouth) LimitedDetails | £8,122,612 | 50 | | Payments50 | | | | Devon County CouncilDetails | £7,721,493 | 106 | | Payments106 | | | | Spaghetti Bridge LtdDetails | £5,481,798 | 43 | | Payments43 | | | | MHCLGDetails | £5,409,806 | 1 | | Payments1 | | | | Premier Care (Plymouth) LtdDetails | £5,111,734 | 3,169 | | Payments3,169 | | | | Kent County CouncilDetails | £4,524,912 | 209 | | Payments209 | | | | Five Rivers Child Care LimitedDetails | £4,057,064 | 2,921 | | Payments2,921 | | | | Fountain Head House School LtdDetails | £3,827,246 | 22 | | Payments22 | | | | Collingswood Care LimitedDetails | £3,571,798 | 2,338 | | Payments2,338 | | | | Plymouth Community HomesDetails | £3,515,133 | 56 | | Payments56 | | | | JNE Construction LtdDetails | £3,389,174 | 46 | | Payments46 | | | | Clear Thinking Care LtdDetails | £3,221,068 | 1,920 | | Payments1,920 | | | | Teignmouth Maritime Services LtdDetails | £3,219,406 | 8 | | Payments8 | | | | Gemcare South West LtdDetails | £3,180,177 | 1,362 | | Payments1,362 | | | | Havencare Homes and Support LimitedDetails | £3,160,901 | 2,075 | | Payments2,075 | | | | University Hospitals Plymouth NHS TrustDetails | £3,034,732 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | Kier Integrated Services LimitedDetails | £3,022,549 | 13 | | Payments13 | | | | Transforming Futures TrustDetails | £3,005,712 | 11 | | Payments11 | | | | I-Grow Care and Support LtdDetails | £2,949,458 | 1,830 | | Payments1,830 | | | | Acorn Care & Education LtdDetails | £2,876,234 | 49 | | Payments49 | | | | OYO Plymouth Central HoteDetails | £2,822,854 | 50 | | Payments50 | | | | Classic Builders South West LtdDetails | £2,787,665 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | Stagecoach Services LimitedDetails | £2,622,766 | 127 | | Payments127 | | | | The National TrustDetails | £2,616,766 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | The Durnford Society LtdDetails | £2,594,767 | 1,327 | | Payments1,327 | | | | BarnardosDetails | £2,483,280 | 37 | | Payments37 | | | | Bleep 360 Care LtdDetails | £2,468,982 | 421 | | Payments421 | | | | Foster Care Associates LimitedDetails | £2,454,925 | 2,061 | | Payments2,061 | | | | Associated British PortsDetails | £2,449,588 | 1 | | Payments1 | | | | Allied Care Services LtdDetails | £2,440,123 | 23 | | Payments23 | | | | Livewell Southwest CICDetails | £2,207,717 | 36 | | Payments36 | | | | Aspris Childrens Services LtdDetails | £2,201,155 | 17 | | Payments17 | | | | Achieve Together LimitedDetails | £2,090,734 | 1,217 | | Payments1,217 | | | | Happy Days South West LtdDetails | £2,073,203 | 56 | | Payments56 | | | | CHAPS/Faster PaymentDetails | £1,995,337 | 44 | | Payments44 | | | | J&C Healthcare LtdDetails | £1,990,457 | 1,024 | | Payments1,024 | | | | Families First (SW) LLPDetails | £1,951,398 | 1,465 | | Payments1,465 | | | | Phoenix Learning and Care LtdDetails | £1,912,893 | 192 | | Payments192 | | | ## 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). **Plymouth: payments by category (our classification)** - 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies £38,744,517 560 payments - 2. Large outsourcing and contracting firms £30,048,600 161 payments - 3. Consultancy and agency staff £9,862,664 105 payments - 4. Legal fees £1,117,957 521 payments - 5. IT and software £325,070 198 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Payments to other councils and public bodies | £38,744,517 | | 2. Large outsourcing and contracting firms | £30,048,600 | | 3. Consultancy and agency staff | £9,862,664 | | 4. Legal fees | £1,117,957 | | 5. IT and software | £325,070 | **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. - NHS Devon ICB: £21,530,078 (72 payments) - Devon County Council: £7,721,493 (106 payments) - Kent County Council: £4,524,912 (209 payments) - University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust: £3,034,732 (15 payments) - Cornwall Council: £499,181 (33 payments) - South Hams District Council: £382,596 (7 payments) - Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT: £203,500 (4 payments) - Warwickshire County Council: £162,708 (16 payments) - Environment Agency: £154,585 (16 payments) - Devon County Council (Active Sports): £98,101 (11 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. - Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Ltd: £14,949,619 (28 payments) - Balfour Beatty Ltd: £10,068,382 (33 payments) - Kier Integrated Services Limited: £3,022,549 (13 payments) - Biffa Waste Services Ltd: £1,438,380 (23 payments) - Kier Construction: £342,908 (3 payments) - Glendale Countryside: £95,073 (15 payments) - Liberata UK Limited: £46,320 (3 payments) - Idverde Ltd: £36,240 (2 payments) - Biffa Waste Services Limi: £15,518 (11 payments) - G4S Cash Services (UK) Limited: £14,923 (21 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. - KBG Chambers: £554,352 (379 payments) - Foot Anstey Solicitors: £109,981 (15 payments) - Thompson Solicitors: £65,631 (3 payments) - Freeths LLP: £60,928 (23 payments) - Cornerstone Barristers: £53,450 (10 payments) - Gard & Co. Solicitors: £37,321 (2 payments) - Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP: £36,355 (3 payments) - Browne Jacobson LLP: £34,692 (14 payments) - Trowers & Hamlins LLP: £21,890 (4 payments) - Bevan Brittan LLP: £21,797 (9 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 Limited: £8,926,944 (66 payments) - Grant Thornton: £706,188 (11 payments) - Proactive Interventions Limited: £76,280 (8 payments) - Penna PLC: £52,390 (9 payments) - Proactive Intervention Care Ltd: £44,950 (5 payments) - KPMG LLP: £19,000 (1 payment) - Tile Hill Interim & Executive Ltd: £17,900 (3 payments) - Forvis Mazars LLP: £10,000 (1 payment) - Venn Group: £9,012 (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. - Northgate Vehicle Hire (sw&w) Ltd: £146,738 (177 payments) - Virgin Media Ltd: £140,533 (9 payments) - Civica UK Ltd: £14,072 (3 payments) - Idox Software Ltd: £10,437 (3 payments) - Vodafone Diversionary and Connection Works Team: £7,408 (1 payment) - Bt Plc Business Moto Bpay: £5,139 (4 payments) - British Telecom: £744 (1 payment) ## Spending by the council's own service areas **Plymouth: payments by service area, as the council labels them** - 1. Children`s & Educational Servi £179,986,748 38916 payments - 2. Adult Social Care £165,776,718 109139 payments - 3. Capital £110,712,231 4274 payments - 4. Public Health £19,950,668 581 payments - 5. Balance Sheet £17,612,122 203 payments - 6. Management and Support Services £15,740,407 799 payments - 7. Highways & Transport Services £14,460,607 1445 payments - 8. Support Services £12,931,055 626 payments - 9. Housing services £11,976,900 2258 payments - 10. Corporate & Democratic Core £10,673,260 1041 payments - 11. Environmental & Regulatory Ser £4,746,491 944 payments - 12. Cultural and Related Services £4,383,592 884 payments - 13. Planning and Development Services £2,839,734 457 payments - 14. Central Services £2,464,973 470 payments - 15. Internal Trading Unit £2,075,774 873 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Children`s & Educational Servi | £179,986,748 | | 2. Adult Social Care | £165,776,718 | | 3. Capital | £110,712,231 | | 4. Public Health | £19,950,668 | | 5. Balance Sheet | £17,612,122 | | 6. Management and Support Services | £15,740,407 | | 7. Highways & Transport Services | £14,460,607 | | 8. Support Services | £12,931,055 | | 9. Housing services | £11,976,900 | | 10. Corporate & Democratic Core | £10,673,260 | | 11. Environmental & Regulatory Ser | £4,746,491 | | 12. Cultural and Related Services | £4,383,592 | | 13. Planning and Development Services | £2,839,734 | | 14. Central Services | £2,464,973 | | 15. Internal Trading Unit | £2,075,774 | | 16. Planning Services | £1,930,028 | | 17. Various | £1,928,779 | | 18. Cultural & related Services | £1,277,639 | | 19. Trading | £219,805 | | 20. Non distributed costs | £81,219 | | 21. Precepts & Levies | £50,615 | | 22. IFRS16 Lease Adjustments | £5,640 | ## Consultancy and agency against the pay bill Payments we classify as consultancy and agency staff came to **6.1%** of Plymouth's own staff costs in its 2025-26 revenue return, against a median of 6.5% for the other unitary 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/E06000026.json). Every payment, as the council published it, is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E06000026.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 Plymouth, spending over £500, [published here](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/publication-scheme). Licence as the council states it: not stated. Checked 2026-09-24; files read 2026-09-29. **Every file read (13)** - [August spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/Payments-over-500-August-2026.xls) (2026-08), file dated 2026-09-21: 12,681 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [July spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-08/Payments-Over-500-July-2026.xlsx) (2026-07), file dated 2026-08-27: 16,112 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [June spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-07/Payments-Over-500-June-2026.xlsx) (2026-06), file dated 2026-07-31: 14,200 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [May spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-06/Payments-over-500-May-2026.xlsx) (2026-05), file dated 2026-06-25: 12,455 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [April spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-05/Payments-over-500-April-2026.xlsx) (2026-04), file dated 2026-05-19: 12,622 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [March spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/Payments-over-500-March-2026.xls) (2026-03), file dated 2026-04-29: 14,868 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [February spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Payments%20Over%20500-February-2026.xls) (2026-02), file dated 2026-03-18: 11,955 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [January spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-02/Payments-Over-500-January-2026.xlsx) (2026-01), file dated 2026-02-18: 12,268 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [December spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/Payments-over-500-December-2025.xls) (2025-12), file dated 2026-01-19: 17,146 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [November spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/Payments-over-500-November-2025.xlsx) (2025-11), file dated 2025-12-10: 13,157 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [October spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-11/Payments-over-500-October-2025.xls) (2025-10), file dated 2025-11-18: 12,952 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [September spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/Payments-over-500-September-2025.xlsx) (2025-09), file dated 2025-10-20: 13,774 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [August spend over £500](https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-09/Payments-over-500-August-2025.xlsx) (2025-08), file dated 2025-09-29: 11,535 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.