County council · South East
How fast Oxfordshire County Council pays its suppliers
Oxfordshire County Council took an average of 2.1 days to pay suppliers in April to September 2026, quicker than the typical council (14 days), and paid 99.5% of invoices within 30 days. It is the 3rd fastest of 137 councils.
April to September 2026
2.1 days
average time to pay an invoice
- Within 30 days
- 31 to 60 days
- Over 60 days
- Paid within 30 days
- 99.5%
- Paid in 31 to 60 days
- 0.4%
- Paid after 60 days
- 0.1%
- Paid within agreed terms
- 99.5%
- Rank
- 3rd fastest of 137
Source: payments compliance notice 096125-2026, published 12 October 2026, Find a Tender, Cabinet Office.
Previous notice
1.9 days average, 99.5% within 30 days
Oct 2025 to Mar 2026. Notice 046073-2026.
0.2 days slower in the latest period
Oxfordshire against every other council
Councils in South East
| # | Council | Average days | Within 30 days | Payment bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Berkshire Council | 52 | 81% | |
| 3 | Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead | 35 | 77% | |
| 5 | Vale of White Horse District Council | 33 | 85% | |
| 14 | Southampton City Council | 24 | 95.5% | |
| 22 | Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council | 20.4 | 94.8% | |
| 35 | East Hampshire District Council | 17.9 | 97.6% | |
| 37 | Brighton and Hove City Council | 17.1 | 94.3% | |
| 44 | Oxford City Council | 16 | 82% | |
| 53 | South Oxfordshire District Council | 15 | 92% | |
| 62 | Hastings Borough Council | 14.7 | 91.1% | |
| 69 | Hart District Council | 14 | 93.4% | |
| 70 | New Forest District Council | 14 | 96.6% | |
| 72 | Milton Keynes City Council | 14 | 99.2% | |
| 74 | Rother District Council | 13.8 | 97% | |
| 78 | Gravesham Borough Council | 13.2 | 99.9% | |
| 81 | Surrey County Council | 13 | 97% | |
| 103 | Wokingham Borough Council | 9.6 | 95.3% | |
| 114 | The District Council of Folkestone and Hythe | 8.2 | 94.3% | |
| 119 | East Sussex County Council | 8 | 97% | |
| 128 | Mid Sussex District Council | 6.4 | 100% | |
| 130 | Dartford Borough Council | 6.1 | 99.3% | |
| 135 | Oxfordshire County Council | 2.1 | 99.5% |
# is the rank among all 137 councils, where 1 is the slowest. The full league table.
Oxfordshire'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
- £758 million £973 a resident; typical county council: £1,003
- Net budget, 2026-27
- £1.24 billion Net current expenditure, as budgeted
- Reserves forecast, 1 April 2026
- £264.7 million 35% of a year's spending power; typical county council: 19%
- Emergency government support
- None No Exceptional Financial Support since 2024-25
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 Oxfordshire
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.