Richmond upon Thames
How Richmond upon Thames Council compares with London boroughs, on 14 measures from official statistics.
- Residents
- 196,713
- Band D council tax
- £2,486 a year See where it goes
- Children's services
- Outstanding (Ofsted, 2025)
Where Richmond upon Thames sits on 14 measures
Compares worst on
- homeless people helped to find a home (27th of 32; 1st is highest)
Compares best on
- council tax collected in the year it was due (1st of 32; 1st is highest)
- complaints the Ombudsman upheld, per 100,000 residents (2nd of 32; 1st is lowest)
- complaints that reached the Ombudsman, per 100,000 residents (2nd of 32; 1st is lowest)
Councils serve very different places, so a low position can reflect more need or less money, not only how well a council is run. About the figures
Where your council tax goes
Choose your band to see what your bill in Richmond upon Thames pays for in 2026-27. Check your council tax band on GOV.UK.
Your bill: £2,486 a year, about £47.81 a week (Band D).
Who your bill goes to
| Goes to | A year | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond upon Thames council | £1,976 | 79% |
| Mayor of London (GLA), including police and fire | £511 | 21% |
What the council's share pays for
The council's part of your bill, £1,976, split in the same proportions as the council's own spending in 2025-26, not counting schools.
| Service | A year | A week | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £769 | £14.79 | 39% |
| Children's social care | £542 | £10.41 | 27% |
| Housing and homelessness | £158 | £3.03 | 8% |
| Bins, streets, parks and environment | £134 | £2.58 | 7% |
| Libraries, culture and leisure | £117 | £2.25 | 6% |
| Public health | £89 | £1.72 | 5% |
| Running the council | £89 | £1.71 | 5% |
| Planning and development | £45 | £0.87 | 2% |
| Roads and transport | £32 | £0.62 | 2% |
Council tax is only part of the money
In 2025-26, council tax paid for 37% of what Richmond upon Thames council spent on day-to-day services, including schools. Most government grants can only be spent on what they are given for, such as schools, housing benefit or public health.
- Business rates: 7%
- Council tax: 37%
- Government grants: 56%
How the council does
Each measure ranks Richmond upon Thames among London boroughs. Open a section for the figures, and a chart of where every council in England sits.
Special educational needs
Top half
- Special educational needs plans issued on time 96.5% Top half
Figures and charts for special educational needs
Education, health and care plans set out support for children with special educational needs. The law says a new plan should be issued within 20 weeks.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special educational needs plans issued on time New education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the legal limit of 20 weeks. 2025 | 96.5% | 70.5% | 5th of 32 |
Ombudsman complaints
1 of 4 measures below the middle
- Complaints the Ombudsman upheld, per 100,000 residents 3.6 Top half
- Complaints that reached the Ombudsman, per 100,000 residents 45.2 Top half
- Upheld complaints the council had already put right 14.3% Below the middle
- Ombudsman's recommendations carried out on time 80.0% Top half
Figures and charts for ombudsman complaints
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at complaints the council's own complaints process has not resolved. Upheld means the Ombudsman found the council at fault.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints the Ombudsman upheld, per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 3.6 | 9.4 | 2nd of 32 | |
| Complaints that reached the Ombudsman, per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 45.2 | 78.5 | 2nd of 32 | |
| Upheld complaints the council had already put right Upheld cases where the council provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman. 2025-26 | 14.3% | 15.2% | 18th of 32 | |
| Ombudsman's recommendations carried out on time Compliance outcomes recorded as delivered on time. 2025-26 | 80.0% | 66.8% | 4th of 30 |
Council housing
Richmond upon Thames Council no longer owns council homes, so there are no council housing figures.
Council tax
Top half
- Council tax collected in the year it was due 98.1% Top half
Figures and charts for council tax
How much of the year's council tax bills the council collected by 31 March.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax collected in the year it was due 2025-26 | 98.1% | 93.7% | 1st of 32 |
Streets and waste
1 of 3 measures below the middle
- Fly-tipping incidents, per 1,000 residents 28.5 Top half
- Enforcement actions, per 100 fly-tipping incidents 35.5 Below the middle
- Household waste reused, recycled or composted 40.9% Top half
Figures and charts for streets and waste
Fly-tipping the council recorded, how often it took enforcement action, and how much household waste was recycled.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents, per 1,000 residents 2024-25 | 28.5 | 44.5 | 12th of 32 | |
| Enforcement actions, per 100 fly-tipping incidents 2024-25 | 35.5 | 37.6 | 17th of 32 | |
| Household waste reused, recycled or composted 2023-24 | 40.9% | 32.0% | 6th of 32 |
Homelessness
1 of 4 measures in the bottom quarter
- Households in temporary accommodation, per 1,000 households 8.3 Top half
- Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more 31.8% Top half
- People at risk of homelessness helped to keep or find a home 53.5% Top half
- Homeless people helped to find a home 20.0% Bottom quarter
Figures and charts for homelessness
Temporary accommodation and the outcomes of homelessness cases, from the council's statutory returns.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households in temporary accommodation, per 1,000 households January to March 2026 | 8.3 | 18.9 | 3rd of 32 | |
| Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more January to March 2026 | 31.8% | 62.2% | 2nd of 32 | |
| People at risk of homelessness helped to keep or find a home Prevention duty cases ending with accommodation secured for 6 months or more. January to March 2026 | 53.5% | 51.0% | 12th of 32 | |
| Homeless people helped to find a home Relief duty cases ending with accommodation secured for 6 months or more. January to March 2026 | 20.0% | 32.9% | 27th of 32 |
Website
Top half
- Council website accessibility score 91.7% Top half
Figures and charts for website
An automated test of the council website's accessibility.
| Measure | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council website accessibility score Silktide Index WCAG 2.2 AA score. October 2026 | 91.7% | 90.7% | 12th of 32 |
What the council spends
£1,240 per resident in 2025-26, not counting schools. The median is £1,197.
Spending by service
Net spending per resident, after fees, charges and specific grants. Spending more is not better or worse on its own. Negative highways figures come from parking income.
| Service | Richmond upon Thames | Median | Rank, highest first | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's social care | £340 | £291 | 9th of 32 | |
| Adult social care | £483 | £438 | 9th of 32 | |
| Public health | £56 | £82 | 28th of 32 | |
| Housing (general fund) | £99 | £146 | 23rd of 32 | |
| Environmental and regulatory | £84 | £104 | 22nd of 32 | |
| Highways and transport | £20 | £2 | 13th of 32 | |
| Culture and leisure | £73 | £39 | 4th of 32 | |
| Planning and development | £28 | £23 | 11th of 32 | |
| Central services | £56 | £67 | 21st of 32 | |
| All services excluding schools | £1,240 | £1,197 | 15th of 32 |
Children's services inspection
Ofsted rated Richmond upon Thames’ children's services outstanding in June 2025.
How other councils were rated
- Outstanding
- 17 of the 32 London boroughs, including Richmond upon Thames
- Good
- 12 of the 32 London boroughs
- Requires improvement
- 1 of the 32 London boroughs
- Inadequate
- 2 of the 32 London boroughs
Over time
Richmond upon Thames against the median of London boroughs.
EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
By calendar year.
- Richmond upon Thames: 96.5%
- Median (London boroughs): 70.5%
Upheld Ombudsman complaints per 100,000 residents
Using the latest population estimate for every year.
- Richmond upon Thames: 3.6
- Median (London boroughs): 9.4
Household waste recycling rate
Reused, recycled or composted.
- Richmond upon Thames: 40.9%
- Median (London boroughs): 32.0%
Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents
As recorded by the council.
- Richmond upon Thames: 28.5
- Median (London boroughs): 44.5
How to read these figures
Position 1 is the best in the group. The bottom quarter is shown in red, below the middle in yellow and the top half in green. Councils with the same figure share a position.
In each chart, every mark is a council in England and the large dot is Richmond upon Thames. Councils in the group you are comparing with are darker. The dashed line is the group's median.