How your money is spent
The money that we receive from you is pooled with the money we get from elsewhere and spent on providing services to the community. All councils must provide certain services by law (mandatory services) such as rubbish collections (district/borough councils) and education (Suffolk County Council).
Other services are discretionary (those that we do not have to provide by law) such as some sports and leisure facilities. Your money is also spent on maintaining public open spaces such as the Abbey Gardens, Brandon Country Park and West Stow and supporting the council's priorities.
The table below explains what we spend money on in a year including what was paid out in benefits.
West Suffolk Council - what your money is spent on
| What we spend the money on | 2024-25 (£ million) | 2023-24 (£ million) |
|---|---|---|
| Employee costs | £36.35 | £35.35 |
| Premises | £10.11 | £7.58 |
| Transport | £2.10 | £1.57 |
| Supplies and services | £10.19 | £8.55 |
| Third party payments | £3.02 | £2.84 |
| Parish and town spending | £5.58 | £4.73 |
| Contributions to reserves | £14.08 | £9.14 |
| Borrowing and interest costs | £2.42 | £2.27 |
| Housing services | £27.04 | £28.58 |
| Total | £110.89 | £100.61 |