Council Tax and budgets

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Council Tax and budgets

Find out how to pay Council Tax to your local district Council and how we use the money.

We continue to listen to what is important to our residents and this is reflected in our budget this year. 

We are funding a record £40 million extra for adults and children’s social care to protect the most vulnerable in our society. 

At the same time, we are investing in the things that residents tell us are important and need improving, such as better roads and pavements, tackling congestion and improving public transport. 

We are doing all this whilst keeping the level of our Council Tax to one of the very lowest of any County Council in the country. The increase is less than inflation and equivalent to £1.33 per week for a Band D property.

In response to what you have told us, we are investing 

  • £11m to improve pavements over the next 2 years
  • £67m to improve roads over the next 2 years
  • £3.75m to address local highways over the next 3 years
  • £56m increase in the capital programme to ensure the planned level of commitment is maintained at the intended level, due to increased cost of delivery and borrowing
  • £17m on improving rail transport including a new Redditch station
  • £2m over the next 2 years to renew highways drainage and flood mitigation works
  • £53m for a new secondary school for Worcester and school places across the county
  • Funding for 150,000 trees to be planted to develop sustainable woodlands 
  • a record £40m extra to protect the most vulnerable adults and children
  • £0.5m to ensure trees around our highways are pruned and safely maintained and investment in highways minor works

Where the money comes from to pay for the 2023 to 2024 Budget

The majority of the Council’s funding is from Council Tax income and the County area is allowed to keep up to 50% of the business rate growth collected in Worcestershire since the introduction of the Business Rates Retention Scheme in April 2013. 

The cost of providing our services in 2023/24, net of specific grants, is £400.8 million which has increased by £27.6 million from the previous year. Additional cost pressures in respect of inflation and increases in the demand for services such as the extra numbers of people needing social care are the main reasons for this increase, some of which are significantly higher than the general rate of inflation.

Summary of net budget for 2023/24

  • £160m - Adult social care and Communities 
  • £111m - Children’s Services
  • £69m - Economy and Infrastructure 
  • £24m - Support services including finance and legal 
  • £37m – Corporate costs including debt financing
  • £401m - Total net budget

If you wish to query the District Council element, please contact your local District Council.

How to pay your Council Tax

Each Council Tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Before the start of each Council Tax year, your district council will send you a single bill which details the amount of Council Tax you owe. 

You will not receive a separate bill from Worcestershire County Council for its portion of your Council Tax.

Find more details of the Council Tax billing and collection arrangements for each district council:

Contact District Council

Council tax bands

You can check your council tax band via the Government Council Tax Bands page.

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