How your council tax is spent

How council tax is split between authorities

Your council tax funds the following authorities:

• Peterborough City Council
• Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
• Parish councils

We print this breakdown on your council tax bill.

The table below shows how your council tax is split between authorities based on a Band D property.

The Peterborough City Council element

The city council, at the Full Council meeting on the 19 February 2025, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, set the amount of council tax for the year 2025/26 for homes across the city.

The increase in council tax for this year is 4.99% (due to rounding this appears as 5% on your bill).

How your money is spent

The council has set an overall gross budget of £547.4m for 2025/26. The figures below show broadly how we plan to spend our gross budget on services, and where the money comes from:

Where the money comes from

Alongside council tax, we raise money through business rates, grants and commercial services we provide.

Council tax increase limit

The Government limits the amount that councils can increase council tax by without holding a local referendum.

The limit is currently 5%. That is why many councils, including us, have increased general council tax by 4.99% to be under the referendum limit.

The council tax rate per valuation band

The table above shows only the council portion of your bill. The appropriate parish, Fire Authority, Police and Crime Commissioner and Combined Authority council tax elements will need to be added to give the total council tax charge.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Fire Authority and Combined Authority

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, at its meeting on 13 February 2025, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, set its precepts for 2025/26.

The Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel, at its meeting on 5 February 2025, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, set its precepts for 2025/26.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, at its meeting on 22 January 2025, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, set its precept for 2025/26.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Fire Authority and Combined Authority amounts by valuation band

Budgets

• CPCA Mayoral General Precept

• The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire

• The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority

Parish precepts

Your individual parish council will set a precept based on local decisions, therefore this element of your council tax bill will be different depending on your area. The individual parish precepts are detailed in the following table:

Parish precepts by valuation band

Parishes all set the precept that they charge, which forms part of the total council tax for that area. If a parish council requires a precept in excess of £140,000 to fund its spending plans, it has a statutory duty to publish details of its expenditure. 

Bretton Parish Council has exceeded this threshold and the detailed spending plan is published below.

Total council tax amounts summary

Total council tax amounts summary including:

• Peterborough City Council
• Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
• Parish precept

In accordance with Section 38(2) of the act, the amounts of council tax set for the year 2025/26 for each of the categories of dwellings are shown below:

Total council tax amounts by valuation band

Levies paid to other organisations by the council

Levies are statutory payments made to other organisations which are funded by local taxpayers.

The Environment Agency has powers in respect of flood and coastal erosion risk management for 2,292 kilometres of main river, and along tidal and sea defences in the area of the Anglian Northern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Money is spent on the construction of new flood defence schemes, the maintenance of the river system and existing flood defences together with the operation of a flood warning system and management of the risk of coastal erosion.

The majority of the funding for flood defences comes from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). However, under the new Partnership Funding rule not all schemes will attract full central funding. To provide local funding for local priorities and contributions for partnership funding the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees recommend through the Environment Agency a local levy.

A change in the gross budgeted expenditure between years reflects the programme of works for both capital and revenue needed by the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee to which you contribute. The total Local Levy raised by this committee has stayed the same.

Internal drainage boards manage an extensive network of watercourses, embankments, pumping stations and other water control assets within the local area in order to maintain water levels and mitigate the risk of flooding. Under the Land Drainage Act 1991 the boards can raise income from the areas for which they provide water level management to maintain and improve their assets, and this is partly achieved by a levy on local authorities.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is the area's statutory Transport Authority. The authority's focus is on leading the delivery of strategic transport schemes, transport planning and engaging with national and regional bodies, whilst delegating the passenger transport powers to Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.

Levies paid to other organisations

Council Tax Booklet 2025-26

This booklet was delivered to all households in Peterborough (March 2025).