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East of England · council 8 of 86 in detail

Suffolk County Council

A largely rural East Anglian county of 770,000 people, with coastal, market-town and Ipswich-fringe communities to serve.

Net revenue budget

£723m

Per household

£2126

Band D precept

£1626

Since 2019/20

+31%

Data freshness & source status

Figures last integrated 20 Jun 2026

Dataset freshness and link status for Suffolk
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
Suffolk — published budget book24 Jul 202520 Jun 2026Not checked
Compare Suffolk with other councils

Budget trend

£552m → £723m

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£528m 73%
  • Retained business rates£87m 12%
  • Government grants£87m 12%
  • Fees, charges and reserves£22m 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

    £291m

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

    £856 per household · 40.2% of the budget

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

  2. Children's Services

    £198m

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

    £582 per household · 27.5% 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

    £53m

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

    £156 per household · 7.4% of the budget

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

  4. Waste & Recycling

    £46m

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

    £135 per household · 6.4% of the budget

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

  5. Public Health

    £25m

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

    £74 per household · 3.4% of the budget

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

  6. Environment, Culture & Planning

    £32m

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

    £94 per household · 4.4% of the budget

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

  7. Central & Corporate

    £39m

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

    £115 per household · 5.4% of the budget

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

  8. Capital Financing

    £39m

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

    £115 per household · 5.4% of the budget

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

Population served

770k

Households

340k

Spend per resident

£939

Suffolk's older population lifts adult social care above the county council average.

Rural transport subsidies and school transport are a persistent cost pressure.

The council part-funds coastal protection alongside the Environment Agency.

Sources