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

Torbay.

Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled unitary. £185m net revenue. 16 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats37 councillors · 16 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Websitetorbay.gov.uk ↗

Net revenue · 2025-26

£185m

Core spending power (MHCLG)

Band-D bill

£2,351

For the council slice (incl. precepts)

Composition

19/37

Conservative and Unionist Party 51%

Westminster

constituencies overlap · 1 MP party

Dispatch
31 May 2026

Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, opposed area.

Torbay is a unitary controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (19 of 37 seats). Net revenue is £185m for 2025-26. It covers 16 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.37 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Con 19LD 15Independent Berwick Hills Resident 3

Conservative and Unionist Party 51% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

Councillor		Ward	Elected
Mike Fox	LD	Barton With Watcombe	2023
Steve Darling	LD	Barton With Watcombe	2023
Swithin Long	LD	Barton With Watcombe	2023
Adam Simon Billings	Con	Churston With Galmpton	2023
Alan John Tyerman	Con	Churston With Galmpton	2023
Cat Johns	LD	Clifton With Maidenway	2023
Maggi Douglas-Dunbar	LD	Clifton With Maidenway	2023
Mark Anthony Thomas Spacagna	Con	Cockington With Chelston	2023
Nicole Amil	Ind	Cockington With Chelston	2023
Nicole Amil	Ind	Cockington With Chelston	2019
Martin Brook	Con	Collaton St Mary	2023
Jermaine Atiya-Alla	LD	Ellacombe	2023

Showing 12 of 37·All 37 councillors

§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

50%

Council tax

£93.0m · median 59%

38%

Central grants

£70.4m · median 30%

12%

Business rates

£21.9m · median 11%

This is a grant-heavy unitary authoritie: 50% 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	£1,947
County / upper-tier	£0
Police	£288
Fire & rescue	£105
GLA precept	£0
Parish average	£11
Total Band-D	£2,351

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 Torbay 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 Care28.7% of net spend · cohort median 27%

24 of 61+5% vs median

Education28.6% of net spend · cohort median 36%

50 of 61-20% vs median

Children's Services21.4% of net spend · cohort median 15%

8 of 61+45% vs median

Waste & Recycling5.7% of net spend · cohort median 6%

32 of 61-2% vs median

Public Health5.5% of net spend · cohort median 4%

10 of 61+50% vs median

Corporate & Central3.8% of net spend · cohort median 3%

13 of 61+32% vs median

Housing & Homelessness2.8% of net spend · cohort median 2%

16 of 61+47% vs median

Culture & Leisure1.7% of net spend · cohort median 2%

43 of 61-23% vs median

Planning & Economic Development1.4% of net spend · cohort median 1%

29 of 61+4% vs median

Highways & Transport0.5% of net spend · cohort median 3%

57 of 61-81% 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.16 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats

Constituency	Wards	% of council	Current MP
Torbay	11	69%	Steve Darling	LD
South Devon	5	31%	Caroline Voaden	LD

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 Torbay

Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries

PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level