Council Leaderboards
See where every council ranks. Grouped by council type for fair comparison.
Council Tax (Band D)
Lowest to highest Band D rate for 2025-26
All-in-one councils
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 132 councils
District councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 councils
County councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 21 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County Council | £1,580.00 |
| 2 | Hampshire County Council | £1,610.00 |
| 3 | Worcestershire County Council | £1,616.00 |
| 4 | Staffordshire County Council | £1,622.00 |
| 5 | Lincolnshire County Council | £1,626.00 |
| 6 | Derbyshire County Council | £1,629.00 |
| 7 | Suffolk County Council | £1,649.00 |
| 8 | Gloucestershire County Council | £1,680.00 |
| 9 | Leicestershire County Council | £1,682.00 |
| 10 | Kent County Council | £1,691.19 |
| 11 | Cambridgeshire County Council | £1,701.00 |
| 12 | Lancashire County Council | £1,736.00 |
| 13 | Norfolk County Council | £1,756.00 |
| 14 | Hertfordshire County Council | £1,770.00 |
| 15 | Devon County Council | £1,801.00 |
| 16 | West Sussex County Council | £1,801.00 |
| 17 | Warwickshire County Council | £1,823.00 |
| 18 | Surrey County Council | £1,846.00 |
| 19 | East Sussex County Council | £1,867.00 |
| 20 | Nottinghamshire County Council | £1,895.00 |
| 21 | Oxfordshire County Council | £1,911.00 |
Spending per Resident
Total service budget divided by population
All-in-one councils
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 122 councils
District councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 councils
County councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 21 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicestershire County Council | £1,273 |
| 2 | Staffordshire County Council | £1,304 |
| 3 | Cambridgeshire County Council | £1,334 |
| 4 | Essex County Council | £1,344 |
| 5 | Suffolk County Council | £1,372 |
| 6 | Worcestershire County Council | £1,373 |
| 7 | Lincolnshire County Council | £1,416 |
| 8 | Oxfordshire County Council | £1,421 |
| 9 | Nottinghamshire County Council | £1,494 |
| 10 | Warwickshire County Council | £1,500 |
| 11 | Derbyshire County Council | £1,512 |
| 12 | Gloucestershire County Council | £1,515 |
| 13 | Norfolk County Council | £1,530 |
| 14 | Devon County Council | £1,550 |
| 15 | Surrey County Council | £1,552 |
| 16 | Kent County Council | £1,590 |
| 17 | Hertfordshire County Council | £1,630 |
| 18 | East Sussex County Council | £1,635 |
| 19 | West Sussex County Council | £1,684 |
| 20 | Hampshire County Council | £1,702 |
| 21 | Lancashire County Council | £1,903 |
CEO Salary
Chief executive salary from published pay policy
All-in-one councils
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 131 councils
District councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 councils
County councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 21 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Staffordshire County Council | £180,000 |
| 2 | Gloucestershire County Council | £191,371 |
| 3 | Derbyshire County Council | £191,480 |
| 4 | Cambridgeshire County Council | £192,850 |
| 5 | Nottinghamshire County Council | £196,745 |
| 6 | Suffolk County Council | £197,729 |
| 7 | Warwickshire County Council | £200,000 |
| 8 | East Sussex County Council | £206,174 |
| 9 | Devon County Council | £207,000 |
| 10 | Norfolk County Council | £208,992 |
| 11 | Lincolnshire County Council | £209,997 |
| 12 | Leicestershire County Council | £221,373 |
| 13 | Kent County Council | £223,979 |
| 14 | West Sussex County Council | £225,000 |
| 15 | Essex County Council | £228,753 |
| 16 | Worcestershire County Council | £231,024 |
| 17 | Lancashire County Council | £236,960 |
| 18 | Oxfordshire County Council | £238,697 |
| 19 | Hertfordshire County Council | £243,000 |
| 20 | Surrey County Council | £245,157 |
| 21 | Hampshire County Council | £250,000 |
Year-on-Year Change
Percentage change in Band D from 2024-25 to 2025-26
All-in-one councils
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 132 councils
District councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 councils
County councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 21 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincolnshire County Council | +3.0% |
| 2 | Essex County Council | +3.7% |
| 3 | Nottinghamshire County Council | +4.9% |
| 4 | Oxfordshire County Council | +4.9% |
| 5 | Surrey County Council | +4.9% |
| 6 | Devon County Council | +5.0% |
| 7 | Derbyshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 8 | Suffolk County Council | +5.0% |
| 9 | Kent County Council | +5.0% |
| 10 | Hertfordshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 11 | Staffordshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 12 | Leicestershire County Council | +5.0% |
| 13 | Cambridgeshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 14 | Gloucestershire County Council | +5.0% |
| 15 | Worcestershire County Council | +5.0% |
| 16 | East Sussex County Council | +5.0% |
| 17 | Warwickshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 18 | West Sussex County Council | +5.0% |
| 19 | Lancashire County Council | +5.0% |
| 20 | Hampshire County Council | +5.0% |
| 21 | Norfolk County Council | +5.0% |
Common questions
How are councils compared fairly?
Councils are ranked within comparable groups. All-in-one councils (unitary, metropolitan, London boroughs) provide all services and are directly comparable. District and county councils are ranked separately because they split services between them.
What does spending per resident mean?
Total service budget divided by the population the council serves. This normalises for council size so you can fairly compare a large city council with a smaller rural one.