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Councils league table · April to September 2026

How fast does your council pay its suppliers?

Since January, the law says a council must pay every undisputed invoice within 30 days, and publish how it did. We have put every council's figures in one place. The typical council takes 14 days. The slowest take more than 50.

14 daysTypical council's average time to pay, Apr to Sep 2026

95.5%Typical share of invoices paid within 30 days

8Councils whose average was longer than 30 days

171 of 339Councils we found no notice from for Apr to Sep 2026

Every council, one dot each

Average days to pay a supplier, April to September 2026. Most councils pay in two weeks. A handful take more than a month on average.

Average days to pay suppliers, April to September 2026: 137 councils, one dot each. Dots past 30 days are councils whose average was longer than the 30 days the law allows for each invoice. 01020304050 30 days: the legal limit for each invoice Average days to pay Vale of Glamorgan: 1 days Hackney: 1.6 days Oxfordshire: 2.1 days Westminster: 2.7 days Salford: 3.4 days Fylde: 4.1 days Bromley: 5 days Stroud: 6.1 days Dartford: 6.1 days Mid Sussex: 6.4 days East Cambridgeshire: 6.8 days Bradford: 7.1 days Breckland: 7.2 days Wolverhampton: 7.4 days Telford and Wrekin: 7.7 days East Devon: 7.8 days Kensington and Chelsea: 7.8 days Hertsmere: 7.9 days Worcestershire: 8 days Harrow: 8 days South Cambridgeshire: 8 days East Sussex: 8 days Folkestone and Hythe: 8.2 days Gateshead: 8.2 days Staffordshire: 8.3 days Havering: 8.4 days West Lancashire: 8.8 days North Yorkshire: 8.8 days Cumberland: 9 days Ceredigion: 9 days Torridge: 9 days Wrexham: 9 days Newcastle upon Tyne: 9.4 days Wokingham: 9.6 days Caerphilly: 9.6 days East Suffolk: 10 days Huntingdonshire: 10 days Sunderland: 10.5 days North Kesteven: 10.8 days Chorley: 11 days Solihull: 11 days Bath and North East Somerset: 11 days Coventry: 11 days Wychavon: 11 days Braintree: 11.4 days Barnsley: 11.5 days Bolton: 11.5 days Torbay: 11.7 days Blackpool: 12 days Hartlepool: 12 days Newport: 12 days Norfolk: 12.2 days Isle of Anglesey: 12.3 days Cambridgeshire: 12.3 days Walsall: 13 days Surrey: 13 days Great Yarmouth: 13 days West Northamptonshire: 13 days Rotherham: 13.1 days Gravesham: 13.2 days Castle Point: 13.4 days Stevenage: 13.4 days County Durham: 13.6 days Rother: 13.8 days North Northamptonshire: 13.9 days Richmond upon Thames: 14 days Hart: 14 days New Forest: 14 days South Norfolk: 14 days Milton Keynes: 14 days Herefordshire: 14.2 days Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 14.3 days Hyndburn: 14.3 days Haringey: 14.4 days Warwickshire: 14.4 days Hastings: 14.7 days Worcester: 14.8 days Burnley: 15 days South Oxfordshire: 15 days Peterborough: 15 days City of London: 15 days East Riding of Yorkshire: 15 days Tendring: 15 days Newham: 15 days East Lindsey: 15 days South Holland: 15 days Broadland: 15.1 days Suffolk: 15.2 days Blaenau Gwent: 15.4 days Welwyn Hatfield: 15.4 days South Kesteven: 15.9 days Oxford: 16 days Essex: 16 days Malvern Hills: 16 days Monmouthshire: 16.1 days East Hertfordshire: 16.1 days Redcar and Cleveland: 16.2 days Cambridge: 16.4 days Bedford: 16.4 days Brighton and Hove: 17.1 days Lincolnshire: 17.1 days Cheshire East: 17.7 days East Hampshire: 17.9 days Kirklees: 18 days Cheshire West and Chester: 18 days Westmorland and Furness: 18.3 days Wyre: 18.4 days Hertfordshire: 18.5 days Dacorum: 18.8 days Cornwall: 19 days Tower Hamlets: 19 days Boston: 19 days Liverpool: 19 days Nuneaton and Bedworth: 20 days Nottinghamshire: 20 days Basingstoke and Deane: 20.4 days Pembrokeshire: 21 days Chesterfield: 21.1 days Wigan: 22 days Bristol: 22 days Sefton: 22 days Gwynedd: 22.2 days Halton: 22.3 days Southampton: 24 days Leicestershire: 24.6 days Leicester: 25 days Nottingham: 26 days Sandwell: 29.6 days Enfield: 29.6 days North East Lincolnshire: 30.8 days Bromsgrove: 32 days Warwick: 32 days Redditch: 33 days Vale of White Horse: 33 days Windsor and Maidenhead: 35 days Southwark: 50.5 days West Berkshire: 52 days West Berkshire 52 Southwark 50.5 Windsor and Maidenhead 35
One dot per council that reported all its payments, April to September 2026. Hover or tap a dot for the council; on a phone, swipe the chart sideways.

The ten slowest

  1. West Berkshire Council 52 days 81% paid within 30 days
  2. Southwark Council 50.5 days 77.5% paid within 30 days
  3. Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead 35 days 77% paid within 30 days
  4. Redditch Borough Council 33 days 75.5% paid within 30 days
  5. Vale of White Horse District Council 33 days 85% paid within 30 days
  6. Bromsgrove District Council 32 days 70.9% paid within 30 days
  7. Warwick District Council 32 days 75.2% paid within 30 days
  8. North East Lincolnshire Borough Council 30.8 days 81.2% paid within 30 days
  9. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 29.6 days 73.3% paid within 30 days
  10. London Borough of Enfield 29.6 days 98.4% paid within 30 days

The ten fastest

  1. Vale of Glamorgan Council 1 day 99.7% paid within 30 days
  2. London Borough of Hackney 1.6 days 99.4% paid within 30 days
  3. Oxfordshire County Council 2.1 days 99.5% paid within 30 days
  4. Westminster City Council 2.7 days 98.5% paid within 30 days
  5. Salford City Council 3.4 days 99.3% paid within 30 days
  6. Fylde Borough Council 4.1 days 97.3% paid within 30 days
  7. London Borough of Bromley 5 days 99% paid within 30 days
  8. Dartford Borough Council 6.1 days 99.3% paid within 30 days
  9. Stroud District Council 6.1 days 84.5% paid within 30 days
  10. Mid Sussex District Council 6.4 days 100% paid within 30 days

The thin line on each bar marks 30 days. Averages hide the tail: a council can average well under 30 days and still pay some invoices late, so the share paid within 30 days is shown too.

Nothing published

We found no notice from 171 councils for Apr to Sep 2026

Every council in England and Wales must publish a payments compliance notice on Find a Tender within 30 days of the end of each six-month period. For April to September 2026 that was 30 October. In the Find a Tender notice data published on data.gov.uk, to 13 November 2026, we found none for 171 of the 339 councils, and none for either period from 123.

If your council has published one we have missed, tell us at editor@fairpaymentcampaign.co.uk and we will add it the same day.

East Midlands 22

Amber Valley, Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Blaby, Bolsover, Broxtowe, Charnwood, Derby, Derbyshire, Erewash, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Lincoln, Mansfield, Melton, Newark and Sherwood, North East Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston, Rushcliffe, South Derbyshire, West Lindsey

East of England 17

Babergh, Basildon, Brentwood, Broxbourne, Colchester, Epping Forest, Fenland, Harlow, Maldon, Mid Suffolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, St Albans, Three Rivers, Watford

London 18

Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Islington, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth

North East 6

Darlington, Middlesbrough, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees

North West 18

Blackburn with Darwen, Bury, Knowsley, Lancashire, Lancaster, Manchester, Oldham, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rochdale, Rossendale, South Ribble, St Helens, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington

South East 44

Adur, Arun, Ashford, Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Canterbury, Cherwell, Chichester, Crawley, Eastbourne, Eastleigh, Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Fareham, Gosport, Guildford, Hampshire, Havant, Horsham, Isle of Wight, Lewes, Maidstone, Medway, Portsmouth, Reading, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Rushmoor, Sevenoaks, Slough, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Test Valley, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Waverley, Wealden, West Oxfordshire, West Sussex, Winchester, Woking, Worthing

South West 17

Cheltenham, Cotswold, Devon, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, North Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, South Hams, Swindon, Teignbridge, Tewkesbury, West Devon, Wiltshire

Wales 10

Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea

West Midlands 12

Birmingham, Cannock Chase, Dudley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Warwickshire, Rugby, Shropshire, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-on-Avon, Wyre Forest

Yorkshire and the Humber 7

Calderdale, Doncaster, Hull, North Lincolnshire, Sheffield, Wakefield, York

By region

Typical council's average days to pay, where at least three councils reported.

  1. East Midlands17.1 days13 councils
  2. North West15 days17 councils
  3. West Midlands14.2 days17 councils
  4. South East14 days22 councils
  5. London14 days13 councils
  6. East of England13.7 days24 councils
  7. Yorkshire and the Humber13.1 days7 councils
  8. Wales12.2 days10 councils
  9. South West11.3 days8 councils
  10. North East11.2 days6 councils

Getting slower, getting faster

Change in average days on the previous notice, for councils that reported all payments both times. 56 got slower and 44 faster.

  1. Enfield+20.1
  2. Westmorland and Furness+13.6
  3. Sandwell+9.6
  4. Bedford+8.5
  5. Newham+7
  6. Wyre+6.8
  1. Kensington and Chelsea-34.8
  2. Windsor and Maidenhead-13
  3. Southwark-10.7
  4. South Oxfordshire-7
  5. Wokingham-6.9
  6. West Lancashire-6.6

Some first notices cover only January to March 2026, when the duty began, so a change can partly reflect the shorter period.

The full league table

137 councils that reported all their payments for April to September 2026, slowest first. Search or sort any column.

#CouncilRegionAverage daysWithin 30 daysPayment bandsChange
1 West Berkshire Council South East 52 81%
2 Southwark Council London 50.5 77.5% -10.7
3 Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead South East 35 77% -13
4 Redditch Borough Council West Midlands 33 75.5%
5 Vale of White Horse District Council South East 33 85% +5
6 Bromsgrove District Council West Midlands 32 70.9%
7 Warwick District Council West Midlands 32 75.2% +1
8 North East Lincolnshire Borough Council Yorkshire and the Humber 30.8 81.2% -1.3
9 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 29.6 73.3% +9.6
10 London Borough of Enfield London 29.6 98.4% +20.1
11 Nottingham City Council East Midlands 26 59.3% +2
12 Leicester City Council East Midlands 25 79.3% +4
13 Leicestershire County Council East Midlands 24.6 90.3% -0.4
14 Southampton City Council South East 24 95.5%
15 Halton Borough Council North West 22.3 91.6% +2.5
16 Cyngor Gwynedd Wales 22.2 85.2%
17 Wigan Council North West 22 82% -2
18 Bristol City Council South West 22 92% 0
19 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council North West 22 95% +1
20 Chesterfield Borough Council East Midlands 21.1 91.1% +1.4
21 Pembrokeshire County Council Wales 21 86%
22 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council South East 20.4 94.8% +2.8
23 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council West Midlands 20 89.4% +3
24 Nottinghamshire County Council East Midlands 20 90% 0
25 Cornwall Council South West 19 87% -6
26 London Borough of Tower Hamlets London 19 91.6% -1
27 Boston Borough Council East Midlands 19 94.8% +2
28 Liverpool City Council North West 19 97.5% +2
29 Dacorum Borough Council East of England 18.8 96.2% +0.5
30 Hertfordshire County Council East of England 18.5 91% +1.6
31 Wyre Borough Council North West 18.4 94% +6.8
32 Westmorland and Furness Council North West 18.3 92% +13.6
33 The Council of the Borough of Kirklees Yorkshire and the Humber 18 94.1% -1
34 Cheshire West and Chester Council North West 18 96.6% +1.1
35 East Hampshire District Council South East 17.9 97.6%
36 Cheshire East Council North West 17.7 93% +0.9
37 Brighton and Hove City Council South East 17.1 94.3% +0.1
38 Lincolnshire County Council East Midlands 17.1 94.8% +0.5
39 Cambridge City Council East of England 16.4 89.5%
40 Bedford Borough Council East of England 16.4 96% +8.5
41 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council North East 16.2 98.5% -0.8
42 Monmouthshire County Council Wales 16.1 85.7%
43 East Hertfordshire District Council East of England 16.1 89.6% 0
44 Oxford City Council South East 16 82% -1
45 Essex County Council East of England 16 97.8% +0.3
46 Malvern Hills District Council West Midlands 16 97.9% -1
47 South Kesteven District Council East Midlands 15.9 97.4%
48 Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Wales 15.4 87.6%
49 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council East of England 15.4 97.9% +2.7
50 Suffolk County Council East of England 15.2 97.4% +1.1
51 Broadland District Council East of England 15.1 96.1% +1.1
52 Burnley Borough Council North West 15 89.3% +1
53 South Oxfordshire District Council South East 15 92% -7
54 Peterborough City Council East of England 15 92.3% -1
55 London Borough London 15 92.5%
56 East Riding of Yorkshire Council Yorkshire and the Humber 15 94% 0
57 Tendring District Council East of England 15 95% -3
58 London Borough of Newham London 15 96.3% +7
59 East Lindsey District Council East Midlands 15 97.3% +1
60 South Holland District Council East Midlands 15 97.9% +1
61 Worcester City Council West Midlands 14.8 95.5% -2.7
62 Hastings Borough Council South East 14.7 91.1% +3.7
63 London Borough of Haringey London 14.4 91%
64 Warwickshire County Council West Midlands 14.4 96.1%
65 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council South West 14.3 94.4% +0.4
66 Hyndburn Borough Council North West 14.3 97.9% +0.5
67 Herefordshire Council West Midlands 14.2 97.4% +0.7
68 London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames London 14 89.2% -5
69 Hart District Council South East 14 93.4% -1
70 New Forest District Council South East 14 96.6% -1.4
71 South Norfolk Council East of England 14 97.5% -2
72 Milton Keynes City Council South East 14 99.2% -1
73 North Northamptonshire Council East Midlands 13.9 99.1% -0.4
74 Rother District Council South East 13.8 97% +2
75 Durham County Council North East 13.6 96.1% +2.3
76 Castle Point Borough Council East of England 13.4 95.4% -3.6
77 Stevenage Borough Council East of England 13.4 95.7%
78 Gravesham Borough Council South East 13.2 99.9% +1.4
79 Rotherham Borough Council Yorkshire and the Humber 13.1 92.6% +0.7
80 Walsall Council West Midlands 13 95.9% +2
81 Surrey County Council South East 13 97% 0
82 Great Yarmouth Borough Council East of England 13 97.4% 0
83 West Northamptonshire Council East Midlands 13 98.8% +1
84 Isle of Anglesey County Council Wales 12.3 90.8%
85 Cambridgeshire County Council East of England 12.3 98.8% -0.7
86 Norfolk County Council East of England 12.2 98.1% +1.3
87 Blackpool Borough Council North West 12 90% -1
88 Hartlepool Borough Council North East 12 97% 0
89 Newport City Council Wales 12 97%
90 Torbay Council South West 11.7 92.3% -0.3
91 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and the Humber 11.5 92.2% +1.9
92 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council North West 11.5 97% -1.9
93 Braintree District Council East of England 11.4 94.8% +1.7
94 Chorley Council North West 11 85.8% +1
95 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 11 94.5% +2
96 Bath & North East Somerset Council South West 11 95% 0
97 Coventry City Council West Midlands 11 96.1% 0
98 Wychavon District Council West Midlands 11 98% +2
99 North Kesteven District Council East Midlands 10.8 95.5% -0.5
100 Sunderland City Council North East 10.5 96.3% +0.9
101 East Suffolk Council East of England 10 96% 0
102 Huntingdonshire District Council East of England 10 99.4% +0.5
103 Wokingham Borough Council South East 9.6 95.3% -6.9
104 Caerphilly County Borough Council Wales 9.6 97.9%
105 Newcastle City Council North East 9.4 97.2% -1.3
106 Cumberland Council North West 9 91.2% 0
107 Cyngor Sir Ceredigion County Council Wales 9 93.5%
108 Torridge District Council South West 9 96.8% +0.4
109 Wrexham County Borough Council Wales 9 99%
110 West Lancashire Borough Council North West 8.8 97.8% -6.6
111 The North Yorkshire Council Yorkshire and the Humber 8.8 98.3% +4.1
112 London Borough of Havering London 8.4 96.7% -0.5
113 Staffordshire County Council West Midlands 8.3 97.9% -0.6
114 The District Council of Folkestone and Hythe South East 8.2 94.3% -1.6
115 Gateshead Borough Council North East 8.2 96.7% 0
116 Worcestershire County Council West Midlands 8 93% +1
117 London Borough of Harrow London 8 95.5% -2
118 South Cambridgeshire District Council East of England 8 95.7% 0
119 East Sussex County Council South East 8 97% +1
120 Hertsmere Borough Council East of England 7.9 97.2% -0.6
121 East Devon District Council South West 7.8 95.1%
122 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea London 7.8 96% -34.8
123 Borough of Telford & Wrekin West Midlands 7.7 97%
124 Wolverhampton City Council West Midlands 7.4 95.5% -2.7
125 Breckland District Council East of England 7.2 97.8% -0.5
126 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Yorkshire and the Humber 7.1 97.5% +1.5
127 East Cambridgeshire District Council East of England 6.8 99.3% -0.5
128 Mid Sussex District Council South East 6.4 100% +0.4
129 Stroud District Council South West 6.1 84.5%
130 Dartford Borough Council South East 6.1 99.3% -0.4
131 London Borough of Bromley London 5 99% -2
132 Fylde Borough Council North West 4.1 97.3% +0.6
133 Salford City Council North West 3.4 99.3% -0.2
134 Westminster City Council London 2.7 98.5% -3.7
135 Oxfordshire County Council South East 2.1 99.5% +0.2
136 London Borough of Hackney London 1.6 99.4% -2.1
137 Vale of Glamorgan Council Wales 1 99.7%
  • Within 30 days
  • 31 to 60 days
  • Over 60 days
29 councils reported only their larger contracts

These notices cover only payments under contracts above the procurement thresholds, so they are not ranked against councils that reported everything.

What the law says

Pay within 30 days. Under section 68 of the Procurement Act 2023, a council must pay an undisputed invoice within 30 days of receiving it, and the same term passes down its supply chain.

Publish every six months. Section 69 requires a payments compliance notice for each period ending 31 March and 30 September, within 30 days, on Find a Tender.

What is counted. The average days from receiving an invoice to paying it, and the share of payments made within 30 days, in 31 to 60 days and after 60 days.

Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scottish councils report under Scottish procurement rules and Northern Ireland's councils are exempt, so neither is in this table.

Figures are as each council published them; they are not audited, and councils may count slightly differently. A notice published to correct an earlier one replaces it. Source: payments compliance notices, Find a Tender, Cabinet Office, used under the Open Government Licence v3. Notices to 13 November 2026. Download every council as a CSV.

Charts and data for your story

Free for newsrooms, councils and anyone writing about local government. Please credit Fair Payment and link to this page.

Dot chart of every council's average days to pay suppliers, April to September 2026Every council, one dot each (PNG) Bar chart of the ten slowest-paying councils, April to September 2026The ten slowest councils (PNG)

Every council as a CSV, with links to each notice. Journalists: for a council's figures or a comment, email editor@fairpaymentcampaign.co.uk.