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See where every council ranks. Grouped by council type, so you compare like with like.
Cheapest to most expensive Band D rate for 2025-26
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 132 councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 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 |
Total service budget divided by the local population
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 122 councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 21 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicestershire County Council | £1,273 |
| 2 | Cambridgeshire County Council | £1,334 |
| 3 | Staffordshire County Council | £1,369 |
| 4 | Suffolk County Council | £1,372 |
| 5 | Worcestershire County Council | £1,373 |
| 6 | Essex County Council | £1,412 |
| 7 | Lincolnshire County Council | £1,416 |
| 8 | Oxfordshire County Council | £1,421 |
| 9 | Warwickshire County Council | £1,500 |
| 10 | Derbyshire County Council | £1,512 |
| 11 | Gloucestershire County Council | £1,515 |
| 12 | Norfolk County Council | £1,530 |
| 13 | Devon County Council | £1,550 |
| 14 | Surrey County Council | £1,553 |
| 15 | Nottinghamshire County Council | £1,557 |
| 16 | East Sussex County Council | £1,635 |
| 17 | West Sussex County Council | £1,684 |
| 18 | Hertfordshire County Council | £1,702 |
| 19 | Kent County Council | £1,714 |
| 20 | Hampshire County Council | £1,805 |
| 21 | Lancashire County Council | £1,940 |
Chief executive salary, from each council’s published pay policy
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 104 councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 161 councils
Two-tier upper (residents also pay district tax) · 11 councils
| # | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridgeshire County Council | £192,850 |
| 2 | Suffolk County Council | £192,906 |
| 3 | Worcestershire County Council | £196,633 |
| 4 | Warwickshire County Council | £200,000 |
| 5 | Nottinghamshire County Council | £201,664 |
| 6 | Norfolk County Council | £201,800 |
| 7 | Staffordshire County Council | £202,542 |
| 8 | Lincolnshire County Council | £203,485 |
| 9 | Oxfordshire County Council | £232,875 |
| 10 | Hertfordshire County Council | £251,808 |
| 11 | Hampshire County Council | £252,318 |
Change in Band D from 2024-25 to 2025-26, as a percentage
Unitary, metropolitan, and London boroughs · 132 councils
Two-tier lower (residents also pay county tax) · 164 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% |
Councils are ranked inside groups of councils that do the same jobs. All-in-one councils (unitary, metropolitan, London boroughs) run all services, so they are ranked together. District and county councils are ranked on their own, because they share services between them.
The total service budget divided by the number of people the council looks after. This evens things out for council size, so you can fairly compare a large city council with a smaller rural one.