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One card per question. All 317 English councils. Every number comes from GOV.UK or the council’s own website.
Total English council spending · 2025-26
£104.6bn
Across 317 councils — about £1,417 per resident. The cards below show what it pays for.
Where the money comes from
The cheapest and priciest Band D bills
£1,673
The gap between England's cheapest and most expensive Band D council tax bill for 2025-26.
Councils that put Band D up the most in 2025-26
+9.3%
Bradford Council raised Band D the most. 114 councils went up by 4.99% or more. National average rise: 4.9%.
How much more Band D costs than in 2023-24
+£332
A Band D household in Birmingham Council now pays £332 more per year than in 2023-24 — the biggest rise. Middle (median) English council: £212 more per year.
Where it goes
Share of every council budget that goes on care
39p
Of every £1 councils spend, this much goes on adult and children's care. 0 councils spend more than 60% of their budget on care.
How council spending splits between services
41p
Of every £1, this much goes on education — the biggest single item. Adult social care takes 24p.
Who is paid
The biggest private companies paid by English councils
£15.3bn
Total yearly spend with the top 10 private companies paid by English councils — EDF Energy Customers Limited is at the top.
Share of top-supplier spend going to Capita, Serco, Veolia, Biffa and Amey
1%
Share of published top-supplier spend going to Capita, Serco, Veolia, Biffa and Amey combined — about £189.8m.
Staff and senior pay
Total pay of chief executives across England
£362,000
Highest total pay for a council CEO — City of London. Middle (median) figure for England: £156,760.
Senior council staff paid £100,000 or more, taken from each council's published list
736
Council staff paid £100,000 or more, across 131 of the 143 councils that publish a salary list. Middle (median) per council: 2.
Signs of financial strain
Councils with the biggest gap between spending and funding
£301.6m
Biggest budget gap in pounds — Hackney. 183 councils have a gap of 10% or more of their net budget.
Background reading on how council finances actually work.
The complete guide to council tax
Bands, caps, exemptions, and how the bill is set.
How UK councils spend your money
Service categories, statutory vs discretionary, reserves.
Who runs your council
Council types, leaders, cabinets, CEOs, allowances.
How to influence your council
Meetings, FOI, proposals, voting, and Town Hall.
Every number comes from a .gov.uk source — either a national GOV.UK dataset or each council’s own website. Each card shows both ends of the ranking and the middle (median) figure for England, so you can see the full spread — not just the extremes. Every sub-page shows exactly how we got the number.