The local authorityCouncil · Unitary · England · 1 of 63 unitary authorities

Plymouth.

Reform UK-controlled unitary. £302m net revenue. 20 wards across 3 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats22 councillors · 20 wards
Last election7 May 2026
Websiteplymouth.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£302m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,325
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
14/22
Reform UK 64%
Westminster
3
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Reform UK chamber, 2-party MP geography.

Plymouth is a unitary controlled by Reform UK (14 of 22 seats). Net revenue is £302m for 2025-26. It covers 20 wards spanning 3 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.22 seats · last contested 7 May 2026

Who sits in the chamber.

Ref 14Lab 4Green 2Con 1Independent Berwick Hills Resident 1

Reform UK 64% · last contested 7 May 2026

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Nicola CookeRefBudshead2026
Helen Mary KellyRefCompton2026
Paul Victor RiellyRefDevonport2026
Saahi ArooriGrnDrake2026
Chris SharpeRefEfford Lipson2026
Paul Charles McNamaraLabEfford Lipson2024
Paul HaganRefEggbuckland2026
Ben David RoweRefHam2026
Shaun HooperRefHonicknowle2026
Andrew David CrumplinRefMoor View2026
Jeremy GoslinLabPeverell2026
Angie SmithRefPlympton Chaddlewood2026
Showing 12 of 22·All 22 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

48%
Council tax
£146.1m · median 59%
39%
Central grants
£117.3m · median 30%
13%
Business rates
£38.3m · median 11%

This is a grant-heavy unitary authoritie: 48% from council tax vs the cohort median of 59%.

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

Band-D bill.

Council slice£1,933
County / upper-tier£0
Police£288
Fire & rescue£105
GLA precept£0
Total Band-D£2,325

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.10 buckets · vs 62 other unitary authorities

How does Plymouth split its revenue across services, compared with peer unitary authoritie-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.

Adult Social Care29.4% of net spend · cohort median 27%
17 of 61+8% vs median
Education29.4% of net spend · cohort median 36%
48 of 61-18% vs median
Children's Services19.2% of net spend · cohort median 15%
15 of 61+30% vs median
Waste & Recycling5.2% of net spend · cohort median 6%
42 of 61-9% vs median
Public Health4.5% of net spend · cohort median 4%
19 of 61+24% vs median
Culture & Leisure3.6% of net spend · cohort median 2%
8 of 61+65% vs median
Corporate & Central3.3% of net spend · cohort median 3%
22 of 61+15% vs median
Housing & Homelessness2.7% of net spend · cohort median 2%
18 of 61+42% vs median
Highways & Transport2.7% of net spend · cohort median 3%
30 of 61+2% vs median
Planning & Economic Development-0.1% of net spend · cohort median 1%
60 of 61-104% vs median
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.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.20 wards split across 3 parliamentary seats

Plymouth’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
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport840% Luke PollardInd
Plymouth Moor View735% Fred ThomasLab
South West Devon525% Rebecca SmithCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Reform UK-controlled unitary — 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 62 other unitary authorities
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Plymouth
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level