Unitary authority · North West
How fast Cheshire East Council pays its suppliers
Cheshire East Council took an average of 17.7 days to pay suppliers in April to September 2026, slower than the typical council (14 days), and paid 93% of invoices within 30 days. It is the 36th slowest of 137 councils.
April to September 2026
17.7 days
average time to pay an invoice
- Within 30 days
- 31 to 60 days
- Over 60 days
- Paid within 30 days
- 93%
- Paid in 31 to 60 days
- 4.3%
- Paid after 60 days
- 2.8%
- Paid within agreed terms
- 95.2%
- Rank
- 36th slowest of 137
Source: payments compliance notice 097212-2026, published 14 October 2026, Find a Tender, Cabinet Office.
Previous notice
16.8 days average, 94.7% within 30 days
Oct 2025 to Mar 2026. Notice 036337-2026.
0.9 days slower in the latest period
Companies in Cheshire East
How fast the large companies registered in Cheshire East pay their suppliers.
See the Cheshire East companiesCheshire East against every other council
Councils in North West
| # | Council | Average days | Within 30 days | Payment bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Halton Borough Council | 22.3 | 91.6% | |
| 17 | Wigan Council | 22 | 82% | |
| 19 | Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council | 22 | 95% | |
| 28 | Liverpool City Council | 19 | 97.5% | |
| 31 | Wyre Borough Council | 18.4 | 94% | |
| 32 | Westmorland and Furness Council | 18.3 | 92% | |
| 34 | Cheshire West and Chester Council | 18 | 96.6% | |
| 36 | Cheshire East Council | 17.7 | 93% | |
| 52 | Burnley Borough Council | 15 | 89.3% | |
| 66 | Hyndburn Borough Council | 14.3 | 97.9% | |
| 87 | Blackpool Borough Council | 12 | 90% | |
| 92 | Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council | 11.5 | 97% | |
| 94 | Chorley Council | 11 | 85.8% | |
| 106 | Cumberland Council | 9 | 91.2% | |
| 110 | West Lancashire Borough Council | 8.8 | 97.8% | |
| 132 | Fylde Borough Council | 4.1 | 97.3% | |
| 133 | Salford City Council | 3.4 | 99.3% |
# is the rank among all 137 councils, where 1 is the slowest. The full league table.
Cheshire East's finances
For context. How fast a council pays is a matter of its own processes as well as its money: across England, councils with more to spend per resident do not pay faster.
- Spending power, 2026-27
- £452.1 million £1,062 a resident; typical unitary authority: £1,197
- Net budget, 2026-27
- £830.6 million Net current expenditure, as budgeted
- Reserves forecast, 1 April 2026
- £22.8 million 5% of a year's spending power; typical unitary authority: 19%
- Emergency government support
- 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27 Exceptional Financial Support agreed by government for these years
Sources: Core spending power 2026-27 and local authority revenue expenditure and financing 2026-27 budget, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Exceptional Financial Support lists on GOV.UK. Open Government Licence v3. Reserves are unallocated plus earmarked reserves the council forecast for 1 April 2026.
What the law asks of Cheshire East
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.
Publish every six months. Section 69 requires a payments compliance notice on Find a Tender within 30 days of 31 March and 30 September.
Owed money by a council? Suppliers can claim statutory interest on a late commercial invoice. Work it out with our late payment interest calculator.
Figures are as the council published them and are not audited. Source: payments compliance notices, Find a Tender, Cabinet Office, Open Government Licence v3.