Council tax

Public sector organisations set its share of council tax

As the billing authority, Wiltshire Council is responsible for collecting council tax on behalf of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, and the town and parish councils. These public sector organisations are facing financial pressures and challenges, and each has the responsibility for setting its share of the council tax.

Your council tax charge in 2025 to 2026

This year we will raise council tax by 4.5% to help fund vital services. This increase includes a 2% adult social care levy that is used entirely for adult social care, in recognition of demographic changes which are leading to a growing demand for these services in Wiltshire. 'Demographic' refers to segments of society, like age, gender, disability, occupation, or cultural background.

Wiltshire Council plans to use these additional funds to ease the increased pressure on adult social care budgets. The Wiltshire Council budget for 2025 to 2026 has been set at £527 million, of which approximately 75% is funded by council tax (including the adult social care levy). In the 2025 to 2026 financial year, a band D household will pay £1,886.99 to Wiltshire Council, of which, £1,590.60 is for basic council tax and £296.39 for the adult social care levy.

A simple overview on where council tax monies are spent

For every £100 of core funding we receive to fund services, we spend:

• £38 on caring for vulnerable adults
• £21 on supporting and safeguarding our children and young people
• £10 on managing Wiltshire's waste and protecting the environment
• £9 on funding the investment in Wiltshire's schools, roads, and housing
• £8 on maintaining Wiltshire's highways, and subsidising local bus services
• £5 on running the council
• £4 on the council's extensive property assets
• £3 on our online and digital services
• £1 on Wiltshire leisure and libraries
• £1 on improving Wiltshire's economy

Town and parish spending

Town and parish councils that precept in excess of £140,000 in 2025 to 2026 are required to provide a breakdown of their service expenditure. This applies to the following councils:

Town and parish spending

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Swindon and Wiltshire

Your Police and Crime Commissioner

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon includes:

• setting the strategic direction for policing in Wiltshire and Swindon through a four-year plan published by Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) (opens new window).
• securing efficient and effective policing for the area
• holding the Wiltshire Police Chief Constable to account for delivering effective policing in accordance with the Police and Crime Plan
• working with local authorities as well as voluntary and community organisations to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime
• engaging with communities
• setting the policing and crime element of council tax, having consulted on the proposal
• commissioning services to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour, and to support victims of crime. The main service they commission is Wiltshire Police.

The Commissioner's priority is to work with communities and partners to:

• provide a police service that meets the needs of the community
• reduce violence and serious harm
• tackling crimes that matter most to communities
• improving the experience of victims and developing justice

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

It is a requirement for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority to set a level of revenue budget and council tax before the start of the coming financial year.

At its budget-setting meeting on 6 February 2025, the Authority approved a total net budget requirement of £76.43 million to run Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service for the year 2025 to 2026:

Wiltshire Council budget and spending plans 2025 to 2026

The budget requirement is the money we need to pay for services once we have taken account of money coming in from fees and charges and specific and general government grants. The budget requirement for Wiltshire Council in 2025 to 2026 is £527.420 million.