Your council
Portsmouth: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Portsmouth City Council: Unitary authority (unitary), England, South East. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Road maintenance: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Primary school places: Applications for service
- Secondary school places: Applications for service
- Library facilities: Providing information
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Portsmouth for 2026–27: £1,908.41 of a £2,291.71 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | £147.4 million |
| Highways and transport services | £14.7 million |
| Children's social care | £74.6 million |
| Adult social care | £95.6 million |
| Public health | £25.7 million |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £22.0 million |
| Cultural and related services | £14.9 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £25.6 million |
| Planning and development services | £5.5 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £7.5 million |
| Other services | none budgeted |
| Total service expenditure | £433.6 million |
Life in Portsmouth: the official facts
- People living here
- 211,475 people
- Typical age
- 36 years
- Money to live on, per person, per year
- £21,709
- Typical weekly pay, before tax
- £593
- Children growing up in poverty
- 31.0%
- People claiming unemployment-related benefits
- 4.6%
- Average price of a home
- £245,954
- How many years of pay a home costs
- 7.2 times yearly pay
- Years in good health: women
- 58.6 years
- Years in good health: men
- 57.5 years
- Greenhouse gases, per person
- 3.1 tonnes per person
- Homes and businesses that can get the fastest broadband
- 96.9%
- Public chargers for electric cars
- 202.5 per 100,000 people
- Businesses trading here
- 6,735 businesses
Who runs the council
42 seats in 2026. Run by: Liberal Democrats, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Liberal Democrats 22, Reform UK 12, Labour Party 4, Conservative and Unionist 3, Independent / Other 1.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 42 councillors, by ward
- Abdul Kadir (Liberal Democrats) — Baffins
- Darren Sanders (Liberal Democrats) — Baffins
- Leonie Oliver (Liberal Democrats) — Baffins
- Charlotte Gerada (Labour Party) — Central Southsea
- Kate Dorrington (Liberal Democrats) — Central Southsea
- Suzy Horton (Liberal Democrats) — Central Southsea
- Cal Corkery (Independent / Other) — Charles Dickens
- Rajah Ghosh (Labour Party) — Charles Dickens
- Sam Coupland (Reform UK) — Charles Dickens
- Carl Inman (Reform UK) — Copnor
- Lee Tindal (Reform UK) — Copnor
- Raymond Dent (Reform UK) — Copnor
- Derek North (Reform UK) — Cosham
- Lamara Fudge (Reform UK) — Cosham
- Mary Vallely (Labour Party) — Cosham
- Hannah Brent (Conservative and Unionist) — Drayton and Farlington
- Simon Bosher (Conservative and Unionist) — Drayton and Farlington
- Spencer Gardner (Conservative and Unionist) — Drayton and Farlington
- Matthew Winnington (Liberal Democrats) — Eastney and Craneswater
- Nicholas Dorrington (Liberal Democrats) — Eastney and Craneswater
- Peter Candlish (Liberal Democrats) — Eastney and Craneswater
- Billy Ansell (Liberal Democrats) — Fratton
- Dave Ashmore (Liberal Democrats) — Fratton
- Stuart Brown (Liberal Democrats) — Fratton
- Emily Strudwick (Reform UK) — Hilsea
- Matthew Cordy (Reform UK) — Hilsea
- Russell Simpson (Reform UK) — Hilsea
- Gerald Vernon-Jackson (Liberal Democrats) — Milton
- Kimberly Barrett (Liberal Democrats) — Milton
- Steve Pitt (Liberal Democrats) — Milton
- Lee Hunt (Liberal Democrats) — Nelson
- Richard Adair (Liberal Democrats) — Nelson
- Steve Andrews (Liberal Democrats) — Nelson
- Chris Dike (Reform UK) — Paulsgrove
- George Madgwick (Reform UK) — Paulsgrove
- Joe Standen (Reform UK) — Paulsgrove
- Denise Perry (Liberal Democrats) — St Jude
- Graham Heaney (Labour Party) — St Jude
- Hugh Mason (Liberal Democrats) — St Jude
- Chris Attwell (Liberal Democrats) — St Thomas
- Ian Holder (Liberal Democrats) — St Thomas
- Mark Jeffery (Liberal Democrats) — St Thomas