Methodology
How we collect, process, and present council data
This is an independent project
CivAccount is not an official government service. It is not connected to any UK council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, or any other government body.
This website does not represent council policy or decisions. It exists to help people understand publicly available information about council finances.
For official information, visit GOV.UK (opens in new tab) or your council's website.
How AI is used in this project
AI helps organise data, not create it
AI tools were used to help build this website. Here is exactly how:
Finding data
AI helped locate relevant government datasets and official council documents.
Reading documents
AI helped extract figures from published budget documents and spreadsheets.
Calculations
AI helped with maths like working out percentages and per-person amounts from published totals.
Writing code
AI helped write the website code and design the charts and layouts.
AI is used to make complex public information easier to understand, not to replace official data or decision-making.
AI does not invent figures, predict outcomes, or make decisions. All numbers shown on this website come from official published sources.
Data sources
Where we get our numbers and descriptions
Every figure on CivAccount (council tax amounts, budgets, salaries, grants, supplier payments) comes from official UK government websites. We do not create, estimate, or model any financial data.
Service descriptions for suppliers and grant recipients are editorial summaries written by us to help you understand what the money pays for. These are based on published council documents, grant award records, and publicly available information from provider websites. They are not official government text.
Council Tax Levels 2025-26
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Local Authority Revenue Expenditure
Budget data from Revenue Outturn (RO) returns
Population Estimates
Office for National Statistics (ONS) Mid-2024 Estimates
Individual Council Websites
For detailed budget documents and leadership information
Data licensing
Public data, freely reusable
All government data used on this website is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (opens in new tab).
This licence allows anyone to copy, publish, distribute, and adapt the data for any purpose, including commercial use. The only requirement is to acknowledge the source.
We acknowledge:
- • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- • Office for National Statistics
- • Individual council transparency publications
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What is and is not OGL-covered:
- • OGL-covered: Council tax amounts, budget figures, salary data, grant amounts, supplier payments, councillor allowances, performance metrics
- • Not OGL-covered: Service descriptions for suppliers and grant recipients are our editorial summaries to help you understand what the money pays for
Understanding the data
What the different types of numbers mean
This website shows three types of numbers. Each is clearly labelled:
Numbers taken directly from government sources without any changes. Examples: Band D council tax rates, total budget amounts.
Numbers we work out from published data using simple maths. Examples: Council tax for bands A-H (calculated from Band D using official ratios), percentage breakdown of spending, per-person amounts.
Numbers that compare one council to others or to averages. Examples: "£50 above average", "Ranked 5th highest". These help you understand context but are not official figures.
We never estimate, predict, or model future figures. All data reflects what has been officially published.
Limitations
What this website cannot do
Not real-time: Data is updated when new official figures are published, typically once per year for council tax and budgets.
Not your exact bill: Your actual council tax depends on your property band and any discounts or exemptions. Use this as a guide, not as your bill.
May contain errors: We take care to present accurate data, but mistakes can happen. For official figures, always check your council's website or GOV.UK.
Not advice: This website provides information only. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice.
Transparency checklist
Questions about how we handle data?
Ask on GitHub (opens in new tab)