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East of England · council 2 of 86 in detail

Essex County Council

The largest county council in England by population, serving 1.5 million residents across twelve districts from Harlow to Southend's borders.

Net revenue budget

£1276m

Per household

£2025

Band D precept

£1508

Since 2019/20

+30%

Data freshness & source status

Figures last integrated 20 Jun 2026

Dataset freshness and link status for Essex
DatasetPublishedIntegrated hereLink check
MHCLG — Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (RA/RO returns)24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
MHCLG — Council tax levels set by local authorities in England24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
Local Government Association — LG Inform local authority data24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
NHS England — Adult social care activity and finance report24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
DfE — Education spending statistics24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
Essex — published budget book24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
Compare Essex with other councils

Budget trend

£985m → £1276m

Data sourcesMHCLG — Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (RA/RO returns)MHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)MHCLG — Council tax levels set by local authorities in EnglandMHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)Local Government Association — LG Inform local authority datadata.gov.uk API (api.gov.uk)
exact ONS/HMRC/MHCLG/PSS fields

How it is funded

Data sourcesMHCLG — Council tax levels set by local authorities in EnglandMHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)MHCLG — Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (RA/RO returns)MHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)Local Government Association — LG Inform local authority datadata.gov.uk API (api.gov.uk)
  • Council tax£893m 70%
  • Retained business rates£191m 15%
  • Government grants£153m 12%
  • Fees, charges and reserves£38m 3%

Where the budget goes

Data sourcesMHCLG — Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (RA/RO returns)MHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)MHCLG — Council tax levels set by local authorities in EnglandMHCLG APIs (api.gov.uk)Local Government Association — LG Inform local authority datadata.gov.uk API (api.gov.uk)
exact ONS/HMRC/MHCLG/PSS fields

  1. Adult Social Care

    £482m

    Care and support for older people and working-age adults with disabilities or long-term conditions.

    £765 per household · 37.8% of the budget

    • Residential and nursing placements
    • Home care packages
    • Learning disability support
    • Safeguarding and assessment

  2. Children's Services

    £368m

    Children in care, child protection, family help, SEND support and youth services.

    £584 per household · 28.9% of the budget

    • Looked-after children placements
    • Child protection social work
    • SEND and home-to-school transport
    • Early help and family hubs

  3. Highways & Transport

    £95m

    Maintaining the county road network, winter service, street lighting and subsidised bus routes.

    £151 per household · 7.5% of the budget

    • Road and pothole maintenance
    • Winter gritting
    • Street lighting
    • Supported bus services

  4. Waste & Recycling

    £89m

    Disposal and treatment of household waste collected by the district councils, plus recycling centres.

    £141 per household · 7% of the budget

    • Waste disposal contracts
    • Household recycling centres
    • Energy-from-waste treatment
    • Landfill and haulage

  5. Public Health

    £44m

    Ring-fenced grant funding for prevention: sexual health, drug and alcohol services, health visiting and stop-smoking support.

    £70 per household · 3.5% of the budget

    • Drug and alcohol treatment
    • Sexual health services
    • Health visiting and school nursing
    • Smoking cessation

  6. Environment, Culture & Planning

    £57m

    Libraries, country parks, trading standards, registration services, planning and climate work.

    £90 per household · 4.5% of the budget

    • Libraries and archives
    • Country parks and rights of way
    • Trading standards
    • Registrars and coroners

  7. Central & Corporate

    £70m

    Running the organisation: finance, HR, IT, democratic services, property and legal.

    £111 per household · 5.5% of the budget

    • Corporate services
    • Digital and IT
    • Property and estates
    • Democratic services

  8. Capital Financing

    £70m

    Interest and repayment on borrowing used to build schools, roads and other long-life assets.

    £111 per household · 5.5% of the budget

    • Interest on borrowing
    • Minimum revenue provision
    • PFI unitary charges
    • Leasing costs

Population served

1,520k

Households

630k

Spend per resident

£839

Essex serves more residents than several English regions and runs one of the biggest road networks in the country.

Children's services demand — placements and SEND transport — is the fastest-growing pressure on the budget.

The council's capital programme covers new schools, road schemes and flood defences.

Sources