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

Chelmsford.

Liberal Democrats-controlled district. £24m net revenue. 24 wards across 3 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats57 councillors · 24 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£24m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,207
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
33/57
Liberal Democrats 58%
Westminster
3
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Liberal Democrats chamber, 2-party MP geography.

Chelmsford is a district controlled by Liberal Democrats (33 of 57 seats). Net revenue is £24m for 2025-26. It covers 24 wards spanning 3 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.57 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

LD 33Con 21Independent Berwick Hills Resident 2Independent Network 1

Liberal Democrats 58% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Mark TaylorConBicknacre East West Hanningfield2023
Sue DobsonConBicknacre East West Hanningfield2023
James RavenConBoreham The Leighs2023
Victoria Louise CanningConBoreham The Leighs2023
Mike SteelConBroomfield The Walthams2023
Nicola Jane BugbeeLDBroomfield The Walthams2023
Philip Robert Andrew WilsonConBroomfield The Walthams2023
Rose MooreLDChelmer Village Beaulieu Park2023
Steve HallLDChelmer Village Beaulieu Park2023
Susan SullivanConChelmer Village Beaulieu Park2023
Nicolette ChambersConChelmsford Rural West2023
Janette PotterConGalleywood2023
Showing 12 of 57·All 57 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

68%
Council tax
£16.5m · median 61%
24%
Central grants
£5.7m · median 26%
8%
Business rates
£2.0m · median 11%

This is a high-council-tax councils (district): 68% of revenue from council tax, above the cohort median (61%).

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

Band-D bill.

Council slice£228
County / upper-tier£1,580
Police£260
Fire & rescue£88
GLA precept£0
Parish average£51
Total Band-D£2,207

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 Chelmsford 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.

Housing & Homelessness29.7% of net spend · cohort median 14%
8 of 158+112% vs median
Waste & Recycling28.5% of net spend · cohort median 32%
105 of 158-11% vs median
Corporate & Central22.9% of net spend · cohort median 27%
102 of 158-15% vs median
Culture & Leisure21.2% of net spend · cohort median 13%
22 of 158+58% vs median
Planning & Economic Development10.9% of net spend · cohort median 14%
112 of 158-24% vs median
Highways & Transport-13.2% of net spend · cohort median -2%
139 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.1,690 payments · £9.8m gross · 3 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
CHELMER HOUSING PARTNERSHIP£2.06m20.9%13
NICKOLDS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT£0.79m8.1%66
EDFENERGY CUST PLC£0.50m5.1%8
PROPERTY STOP£0.43m4.4%3
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL£0.37m3.8%20
CERTAS ENERGY CPL£0.25m2.6%15
NATWEST ONECARD£0.23m2.4%4
TOTALENERGIES G&P£0.21m2.1%4
HOUSING ACTION MANAGEMENT LIMITED£0.18m1.9%4
CHELMSFORD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT LIMITED£0.15m1.6%3

By service area · top supplier

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

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.24 wards split across 3 parliamentary seats

Chelmsford’s territory crosses 3 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Chelmsford1354% Marie GoldmanLD
Maldon729% John WhittingdaleCon
North West Essex417% Kemi BadenochCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 2 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Liberal Democrats-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

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
1,690 payments · 3 Dec 202530 Apr 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level