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England · county councils · 2024-25

Essex County Council budget and spending

Essex County Council had net current service expenditure of £2.2bn in 2024-25. By total budget it is 4th highest of 21 county councils.

Net service spending, 2024-25
£2.2bn
Rank by total budget
4th
of 21 county councils

This is the council budget only (net current service expenditure). NHS, pensions, Universal Credit and debt interest are not included. In two-tier counties, education and social care sit with the county, not the district.

Where Essex Council spends its money

Essex County Council spending by service, 2024-25
  • Education£863.5m

    39.5% of the budget

  • Adult social care£698.5m

    32.0% of the budget

  • Children's social care£261.9m

    12.0% of the budget

  • Highways and transport£97.0m

    4.4% of the budget

  • Environment£91.4m

    4.2% of the budget

  • Public health£85.0m

    3.9% of the budget

  • Central and other£32.0m

    1.5% of the budget

  • Culture£30.1m

    1.4% of the budget

  • Planning£24.9m

    1.1% of the budget

  • Housing£1.7m

    0.1% of the budget

County councils run social care, education, highways and libraries across several districts, so they are only compared with other counties.

Councils with similar budgets

Essex County Council: common questions

How much does Essex County Council spend?

Essex County Council had net current service expenditure of £2.2bn in 2024-25. This is the council budget only: it excludes NHS spending, pensions, Universal Credit and debt interest.

What does Essex County Council spend most on?

Education is the largest service line at £863.5m, 39.5% of the 2024-25 budget.

How much of Essex County Council's budget goes on social care?

Adult and children's social care together take 43.9% of net service spending in 2024-25.