What It Pays For

Council Tax is collected to pay for a number of local services.

We collect Council Tax to pay for local services such as:

  • schools
  • emergency services
  • bin and recycling collections
  • roads and street lights
  • libraries
  • planning services

Some of these services are provided by other authorities so your Council Tax includes payments to Gloucestershire County Council, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire and if your property is in Quedgeley, to Quedgeley Town Council.

Spending plans for Gloucester City Council

Council Tax is the main source of locally-raised income for this council and is used to meet the difference between the amount we wish to spend and the amount we receive from other sources such as business rates and government grants.

In setting the level of Council Tax, we've kept in mind the difficult economic and financial climate that many of our residents face. Our funding from central government has dropped sharply in the period 2010 to 2024, and future funding levels are uncertain. We must consider what level of increase in Council Tax is sustainable, without creating an increased risk of service cuts and/or larger tax increases in the future.

The average Council Tax you'll pay for services provided by us is £230.16 for a band D taxpayer. This is an increase of £6.68 over last year, that's under 13 pence per week.

Budget comparison

Budget Requirement 2026/27 2025/26
Service £000 £000
Senior Management 1,219 1,224
Transformation and Commissioning 5,153 4,605
Finance and Resources 1,743 1,056
Cultural and Leisure Services 1,645 1,604
Communities 10,415 8,809
Place 2,271 (1,713)
Total net cost of services 22,446 15,586
     
Net interest 3,321 1,071
Pension contributions 1,008 2,521
Minimum revenue provision 2,211 2,061
     
Budget requirement 17,199 15,784
Transfer to reserves   156
     
Funded by:    
Business Rates Retention (5,201) (7,750
New Homes Bonus   (97)
Funding Support Grant    
Services Grant    
Recovery Grant (1,407) (450)
Extended Producer
Responsibility Grant
(616) (736)
Revenue Support Grant (5,289) (353)
Council Tax deficit brought forward    
Net Council Position 6,627 2,719
Which leaves Council Tax payers to fund (9,845) (9,440)

Budget comparison

Budget comparison £000 £000
Budget requirement - Prior Year 21,394 17,389
Increased costs and budget pressures 7,779 8,381
Budget efficiencies/income generation (1,188) (4,586)
Savings target (1,000) (210)
Budget requirement - Current Year 28,985 21,394

How our budget compares

Our general fund working balance is forecast to be £0.912m at the end for the 2023/24 financial year.

Investment in the future

Our capital investment will fund major regeneration projects, including Kings Square, Kings Quarter as well as continued transformation of council services.