The local authorityCouncil · district · England · 1 of 164 councils (district)

Braintree.

Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled district. £19m net revenue. 26 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats53 councillors · 26 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£19m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,195
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
29/53
Conservative and Unionist Party 55%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, Conservative and Unionist Party MPs.

Braintree is a district controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (29 of 53 seats). Net revenue is £19m for 2025-26. It covers 26 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.53 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Con 29Lab 9Independent Berwick Hills Resident 7Green 4Halstead Residents' Association 4

Conservative and Unionist Party 55% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Justin WrenchConBocking Blackwater2023
Lynette Barbara FlintConBocking Blackwater2023
Lyn Shirley WaltersConBocking Blackwater2023
John BaughConBocking North2023
Lynn Rosemary JefferisLabBocking North2023
Jack Peter Richard EdwardsConBocking South2023
Moia ThorogoodLabBocking South2023
Jonathan Kutsal AytenLabBraintree Central Beckers Green2023
Shirley Margaret MasonLabBraintree Central Beckers Green2023
Thomas Alfred DiamondLabBraintree Central Beckers Green2023
Kevin James BowersConBraintree South2023
Martin John GreenLabBraintree South2023
Showing 12 of 53·All 53 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

64%
Council tax
£11.9m · median 61%
25%
Central grants
£4.7m · median 26%
11%
Business rates
£2.0m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (district) median: 64% council tax, 25% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£206
County / upper-tier£1,580
Police£260
Fire & rescue£88
GLA precept£0
Parish average£61
Total Band-D£2,195

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.6 buckets · vs 163 other councils (district)

How does Braintree split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Waste & Recycling33.2% of net spend · cohort median 32%
69 of 158+4% vs median
Corporate & Central30.0% of net spend · cohort median 27%
61 of 158+12% vs median
Housing & Homelessness14.4% of net spend · cohort median 14%
78 of 158+2% vs median
Planning & Economic Development14.4% of net spend · cohort median 14%
80 of 1580% vs median
Culture & Leisure10.4% of net spend · cohort median 13%
102 of 158-22% vs median
Highways & Transport-2.4% of net spend · cohort median -2%
79 of 158
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.1,569 payments · £12.7m gross · 4 Dec 202530 Apr 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
CRAEMER UK LIMITED£1.67m13.2%22
SEH FRENCH LTD£1.55m12.2%5
WITHAM TOWN COUNCIL£0.56m4.4%2
FIRST CALL CONTRACT SERVICES LTD£0.42m3.3%31
CIVICA UK LTD£0.38m3.0%3
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL£0.35m2.7%35
MATRIX SCM LTD£0.28m2.2%18
IPL PLASTICS(UK) T/A IPL HULL£0.21m1.7%4
IVYBUILD LIMITED£0.19m1.5%13
BALM & DAVIES LTD£0.18m1.4%14

By service area · top supplier

Service-classified supplier data not yet ingested for this council.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.26 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Braintree1765% James CleverlyCon
Witham935% Priti PatelCon
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 163 other councils (district)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
1,569 payments · 4 Dec 202530 Apr 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level