East of England · Non-metropolitan district

Colchester

2026/27 view

Colchester · ONS E07000071

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources

COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

30/ 100

COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Significant pressure

Compared only with non-metropolitan district councils using central government returns.

164 councils in peer group Rank 130 of 164 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated

Reserves cover25

Debt burden23

Liquidity26

Debt direction61

YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.

Net debt £176.81m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4

−£13.00m 6.8%

Service expenditure £49.81m 2024/25 vs 2023/24

+£15.06m 43.3%

Unallocated reserves £5.80m 2024/25 vs 2023/24

−£1.12m 16.2%

FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL TREND

How this council's finances have changed

Official annual outturn. Each line uses its own scale so direction remains easy to read.

Through 2024/25

Service expenditure £49.81m

4.4%

Net revenue expenditure £52.43m

7.7%

Council Tax requirement £16.91m

15.9%

Unallocated reserves £5.80m

185.5%

COUNCILMETRICS COMMUNITY SCORE Share your experience 0 of 25 responses collected before results are published

Score this council

Political controlNot yet recordedAdministration not identified

Council leaderNot identifiedParty not identified

Resident population200,2222024 estimate

Latest net debt£176.81m2026/27 Q1 quarter end

WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for Colchester, with like-for-like comparison against collection authorities.

2024/25

51.6%recycled

Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

2.4 percentage points vs 2023/24

34 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%

Residual waste326.4 kgper household+7.5 kg year on year

Waste collected291.6 kgper resident−10.6 kg year on year

Household waste58,382tonnes collected30,141 tonnes recycled

WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

30,141 t recycled, composted or reused 28,242 t not recycled

RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

51.6%

2015/162024/25

EDUCATION

Schools and education

Schools, pupil numbers and latest education outcomes across Colchester.

2024/25

SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools

88 Open schools

31,964 Pupils

33,930 School places

94.2% Capacity utilisation

ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Colchester.

Attainment 8

48.4

East of England 46.2

England 46.1

2.3 points above England

English & maths grade 5+

48.7%

East of England 45.9%

England 45.4%

3.3 percentage points above England

EBacc entry

39.4%

East of England 40.0%

England 40.5%

1.1 percentage points below England

PROGRESS

Progress 8

-0.05

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.

TREND

Attainment 8 over time

48.5 18/19

51.2 19/20

51.6 20/21

49.5 21/22

46.8 22/23

46.9 23/24

48.4 24/25

Education context

Colchester's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with East of England and England.

Department for Education · Key Stage 4 performance · Pupil residency

HOUSING & AFFORDABILITY

Housing costs and local earnings

House prices and affordability for Colchester, based on the earnings of local residents.

2025

Median house price

£327,000

+ 18.9% over five years

Median resident earnings

£39,353

+ 21.0% over five years

House price to earnings

8.31×

Improved from 8.46× five years ago

PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Colchester.

£1,196 / month

+ 2.3% in the last year

July 2026

Colchester

£1,196

+ 2.3%

East of England

£1,285

+ 3.7%

England

£1,451

+ 3.8%

Compared with East of England £89 less per month

Compared with England £255 less per month

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

Median house price as a multiple of median resident earnings. Lower is more affordable.

Colchester

8.31×

East of England

8.52×

England

7.64×

Compared with East of England More affordable

Compared with England Less affordable

Source: Office for National Statistics · Housing affordability in England and Wales · House prices year ending September · Residence-based earnings

PLANNING & HOUSING DELIVERY

Is development moving through the system?

Quarterly planning decisions and the government's latest three-year Housing Delivery Test.

2026 Q1

Applications received282this quarter−18 vs 2025 Q4

Applications decided264this quarter+32 vs 2025 Q4

Outstanding applications—at quarter end

87.9%approved

Overall approval rate232 granted32 refused+0.8 pts vs previous quarter

DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

96.6%

Rank 66 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

1.3 percentage points lower than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major683.3%100.0% Minor6085.0%95.0% Other19888.9%97.0%

QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters

HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

109%

Required2,762homes over three years

Delivered2,999homes over three years

100% requirement

No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment

CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for Colchester, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026

Recorded offences 16,534 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud

Crime rate 82.6 offences per 1,000 residents

Annual change + 4.4% compared with the previous year

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents

Colchester Your council

82.6 + 4.4%

East of England Region

68.4 − 0.1%

England National

83.4 − 1.5%

Colchester has a recorded crime rate 20.7% above East of England. It is 1.0% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Essex

Violence 7,156

35.7 per 1,000 + 3.9%

Theft 4,752

23.7 per 1,000 + 8.4%

Public order 1,277

6.4 per 1,000 + 1.8%

Criminal damage 1,324

6.6 per 1,000 − 1.6%

Shoplifting 1,667

8.3 per 1,000 + 15.3%

Vehicle offences 1,084

5.4 per 1,000 + 37.0%

Burglary 569

2.8 per 1,000 + 3.5%

Drug offences 543

2.7 per 1,000 − 4.9%

ONS / Home Office · Police-recorded crime · Community Safety Partnership data

SCHOOLS & OFSTED

Schools and inspection outcomes

Open schools, pupil numbers and the latest published Ofsted inspection position for Colchester.

88 schools

Open schools 88

Pupils 31,964

School places 33,930

Capacity used 94.2%

Primary 63 schools

16,379 pupils

Secondary 12 schools

13,438 pupils

Other / specialist 11 schools

2,147 pupils

16+ provision 2 schools

0 pupils

CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information

Renewed framework 6

6.8% of open schools

Previous full framework 44

50.0% of open schools

Ungraded inspection 30

34.1% of open schools

No Ofsted record 8

9.1% of open schools

RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

6 schools assessed

Achievement 6 assessed

Expected standard 3

Strong standard 2

Exceptional 1

Attendance & behaviour 6 assessed

Strong standard 3

Expected standard 2

Exceptional 1

Curriculum & teaching 6 assessed

Expected standard 2

Strong standard 2

Exceptional 1

Needs attention 1

Inclusion 6 assessed

Expected standard 3

Strong standard 3

Leadership & governance 6 assessed

Expected standard 2

Strong standard 2

Exceptional 1

Needs attention 1

Personal development 6 assessed

Strong standard 4

Expected standard 2

Safeguarding 6 assessed

Met 6

PREVIOUS FRAMEWORK

Legacy Ofsted ratings

These ratings apply only to schools whose latest full inspection remains under the previous Ofsted framework. Schools assessed under the renewed framework are shown separately above.

Outstanding 3

Good 24

Inadequate 3

Not judged 14

LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools

School	Phase	Pupils	Capacity	Latest Ofsted position
Baynards Primary School URN 114767 · CO5 0ND	Primary	98	105	Renewed framework
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School URN 115138 · CO2 0LZ	Primary	124	140	Good
Boxted St Peter's Church of England School URN 115072 · CO4 5YN	Primary	206	210	Good
Braiswick Primary School URN 140396 · CO4 5QJ	Primary	419	450	Ungraded inspection
Brinkley Grove Primary School URN 131219 · CO4 9GF	Primary	403	420	Ungraded inspection
Broomgrove Infant School URN 114756 · CO7 9QB	Primary	158	180	Good
Broomgrove Junior School URN 114759 · CO7 9QB	Primary	212	240	Ungraded inspection
Camulos Academy URN 141950 · CO4 6AL	Primary	406	420	Ungraded inspection

School information: Get Information about Schools (GIAS). Inspection information: Ofsted monthly management information. Inspection frameworks differ over time, so renewed-framework standards and previous overall effectiveness grades are shown separately.

Published expenditure£0.00No spending file imported

Revenue budget£0.00Not imported

Reported overspend£0.00Not imported outturn

Contracts00 active

Identified suppliers0Normalised entities

PEOPLE AND PLACE

Population snapshot

View full People profile

Population 200,222 2024

East of England region 6,576,306

Five-year population change

+9,752 residents ↑ 5.1%

Colchester +5.1%

East of England +4.8%

England +4.3%

Growth context

Colchester's population grew over five years. Its change was broadly in line with the East of England and 0.9 percentage points above England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates

Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile

BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in Colchester?

People receiving Universal Credit and how the caseload has changed over the latest 24 months.

DWP · May 2026

PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 20,341 10.2% of the 2024 resident population May 2026

CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +8.9% +1,663 people

LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +0.7% +133 since April 2026

LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026

Colchester LOCAL AUTHORITY

10.2%

East of England REGION

10.3%

England COUNTRY

12.3%

Percentage of the resident population receiving Universal Credit. This is not an unemployment rate.

24-MONTH TREND

People receiving Universal Credit

Monthly caseload recorded on the DWP Universal Credit system.

June 2024 May 2026

20,341 18,339 16,336

June 2024 May 2026

What does this measure?

Universal Credit provides financial support to people who are on a low income or out of work. These figures count people receiving Universal Credit, not households and not the number of people who are unemployed.

DWP Stat-Xplore

HOUSING LICENSING

HMOs and property licensing

Coverage not assessedNational HMO explorer

Licensed HMOsAwaiting registerOnly licensed properties will be counted

Identifiable HMO expenditureNot identifiableNot separately described in published transactions

Inspection and enforcement dataAwaiting dataNo activity source imported yet

Coverage note

A licensed HMO register has not yet been located for this council. CouncilMetrics does not estimate HMO expenditure from broad housing or social-care descriptions.

FINANCE

How this council raises and spends money

Comparable official outturn for 2024/25, reported to central government.

MHCLG official outturn

Total service expenditure

£49.81m 2024/25 actual outturn

Net revenue expenditure

£52.43m 2024/25 actual outturn

Council Tax requirement

£16.91m 2024/25 actual outturn

Unallocated reserves

£5.80m 2024/25 actual outturn

Service expenditure per resident £249

Median for councils of the same type £166 50.3% above peer median

2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn

Housing Gross £20.63m · Income £7.77m

£12.86m

Culture and related services Gross £30.00m · Income £18.18m

£11.82m

Environmental and regulatory services Gross £23.25m · Income £11.52m

£11.73m

Planning and development Gross £19.16m · Income £8.78m

£10.38m

Central services Gross £37.64m · Income £35.94m

£1.69m

Highways and transport Gross £14.65m · Income £13.33m

£1.33m

CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£16.91m

Retained business rates£3.49m

Revenue Support Grant£218.0k

UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £6.92m

Closing £5.80m

£1.12m decrease during 2024/25

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Revenue Outturn RS and RSX · values shown in pounds Official dataset

BORROWING AND INVESTMENTS

Balance-sheet position

A point-in-time view of debt and liquid investments at the end of 2026/27 Q1.

MHCLG quarterly return

Outstanding borrowing

£207.89m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

Investments and cash

£31.08m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

Net debt

£176.81m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

Net debt per resident

£883 Per resident using latest population

This council's net debt per resident £883

Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 827.5% higher than the peer median

QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£13.00m quarterly reduction

2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1

Latest quarterly movement −£13.00m −6.8%

Change across the series +£78.72m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1

What changed?

Net debt reduced during the latest quarter as the balance between borrowing and investments improved.

BORROWING COMPOSITION

Where the borrowing sits

PWLB, other longer-term borrowing and short-term borrowing.

2026/27 Q1

Public Works Loan Board£189.39m

Other longer-term borrowing£9.00m

Short-term borrowing£9.50m

MHCLG Borrowing and Investment live table · 2026/27 Q1 · values shown in pounds Official dataset

COUNCIL TAX & COLLECTION

How much council tax remains unpaid?

Council tax collection, outstanding arrears and write-offs reported to central government.

MHCLG 2025/26

Outstanding arrears

£13.12m Total outstanding at financial year-end

Collection rate

97.60% Collected against the in-year debit

Council tax written off

£271,000 Written off during the financial year

Council tax collected

£143.95m Receipts relating to the financial year

FIVE-YEAR TREND

How has unpaid council tax changed?

Outstanding arrears at each financial year-end.

2021/22–2025/26

OUTSTANDING ARREARS 2025/26

£13.12m

CHANGE SINCE 2021/22

+ 54.4%

+ £4.63m

ENGLAND CHANGE

+49.5%

Figures represent total outstanding council tax balances, including arrears carried forward from earlier years. Changes in council boundaries can affect historical comparisons.

OUTSTANDING ARREARS

Where does the unpaid council tax come from?

Breakdown of outstanding balances at the end of 2025/26.

£13.12m outstanding

CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £3.69m

28.1% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £9.44m

71.9% of outstanding arrears

Current-year arrears Earlier-years arrears

Earlier-years arrears represent unpaid council tax carried forward from previous financial years. These figures do not identify individual households or establish whether balances are recoverable.

COLLECTION PERFORMANCE

How does this council compare?

England 2025/26

In-year collection rate 97.60%

England average: 95.60% · 2.00 percentage points above England

Outstanding arrears include unpaid balances from earlier financial years and are not the same as council tax uncollected during 2025/26. Monetary values are rounded for display. Official MHCLG source

SPENDING

Published directorate expenditure

Explore all 0 records

CONTRACTS

Largest contracts

Explore all 0 contracts

Contract	Supplier	Status	End date	Original value

SUPPLIERS

Largest supplier exposure

Dated transactions

Supplier	Payments	Published expenditure

PROVENANCE

Source documents

39 imported

Document	Dataset	Period	Status	Official source
Housing Delivery Test 2025 results — Colchester	mhclg housing delivery test	HDT 2025–HDT 2025	imported	Open
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Colchester	mhclg planning ps2	1979 Q2–2026 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Colchester	mhclg planning ps1	1996 Q2–2026 Q1	imported	Open
Defra local authority waste statistics — Colchester Borough Council	defra local authority waste	2010/11–2024/25	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rsx	2023/24	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rs	2023/24	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rsx	2022/23	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rs	2022/23	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rsx	2021/22	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rs	2021/22	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rsx	2020/21	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rs	2020/21	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2025/26 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2025/26 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2025/26 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2025/26 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2024/25 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2024/25 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2024/25 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2024/25 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2023/24 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2023/24 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2023/24 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2023/24 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2022/23 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2022/23 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2022/23 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2022/23 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2021/22 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2021/22 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2021/22 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2021/22 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2020/21 Q4	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2020/21 Q3	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2020/21 Q2	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2020/21 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Colchester	mhclg borrowing investment	2026/27 Q1	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rsx	2024/25	imported	Open
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Colchester	mhclg revenue outturn rs	2024/25	imported	Open

How to read these figures and the Financial Health Score

Budget summaries and financial positions retain the reporting year and assurance status of their original source. Draft or unaudited values are labelled separately from audited outturn figures. The Financial Health Score uses reserves cover, net debt per resident, liquidity and quarterly debt direction from central MHCLG returns. Each component is converted to a percentile among councils of the same authority type; available components are weighted 35%, 30%, 20% and 15% respectively. A score is published only when at least three components covering 65% of the weighting are available. It is a comparative financial indicator, not an assessment of service quality or political performance.