29 October 2026
Council electricity bills fell in 15 of 19 areas last year, but some councils still have dozens of sites on out-of-contract rates
Freedom of Information replies from 22 councils show most electricity bills fell in 2025/26 as wholesale prices eased, while several councils told us they still had sites billed outside their main energy contracts.
Electricity bills fell at 15 of the 19 councils that gave us comparable figures for 2024/25 and 2025/26, according to Freedom of Information replies to Business Energy Consultant.
We asked 118 councils across England, Scotland and Wales on 9 October for their electricity and gas spend and consumption for 2023/24 to 2025/26, their supplier or buying framework, and how many sites had been billed at out-of-contract, deemed or variable rates. By 29 October, 22 had sent figures. The rest have acknowledged the request, asked for clarification, refused or not yet replied, so these figures are a sample of the councils that answered and not a national picture.
Electricity spend, 2024/25 against 2025/26
| Council | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth and Kinross Council | £7,492,534 | £6,276,240 | down 16.2% |
| Renfrewshire Council | £6,986,980 | £5,526,894 | down 20.9% |
| Angus Council | £6,883,693 | £5,871,276 | down 14.7% |
| East Ayrshire Council | £6,638,357 | £4,159,437 | down 37.3% |
| Inverclyde Council | £5,148,009 | £4,373,298 | down 15.0% |
| Orkney Islands Council | £4,873,739 | £4,049,465 | down 16.9% |
| Torfaen County Borough Council | £2,672,181 | £2,264,275 | down 15.3% |
| Ceredigion County Council | £2,455,583 | £2,090,445 | down 14.9% |
| Herefordshire Council | £1,502,625 | £1,403,659 | down 6.6% |
| Gloucester City Council | £892,914 | £483,523 | down 45.8% |
| East Suffolk Council | £803,889 | £744,175 | down 7.4% |
| Mid Devon District Council | £768,500 | £684,580 | down 10.9% |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | £640,509 | £706,345 | up 10.3% |
| Dover District Council | £557,826 | £589,133 | up 5.6% |
| Braintree District Council | £395,128 | £524,038 | up 32.6% |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | £346,911 | £282,170 | down 18.7% |
| North Devon Council | £317,329 | £365,319 | up 15.1% |
| Oadby and Wigston Borough Council | £182,893 | £156,272 | down 14.6% |
| East Cambridgeshire District Council | £128,493 | £62,309 | down 51.5% |
Figures are as each council supplied them, rounded to the nearest pound; percentage changes are our calculation. Councils do not all count the same buildings: Herefordshire excludes schools, East Ayrshire excludes its leisure trust, Ceredigion counts operational properties and includes street lighting, Perth and Kinross includes unmetered supplies, and Braintree includes temporary supplies.
Across the 19 councils that gave both years, combined electricity and gas spend fell from £66.0 million in 2023/24 to £53.3 million in 2025/26, a fall of 19.3%.
Sites outside the main contract
Several councils said some supplies were still billed outside their main contracts in 2025/26, usually empty or newly vacated premises waiting to be moved onto the corporate deal.
| Council | What the council told us |
|---|---|
| North Devon Council | Approximately 28 meters |
| Inverclyde Council | 19 sites, small commercial properties let on a short-term basis |
| Herefordshire Council | 16 |
| Gloucester City Council | Approximately 15 small sites, mainly market stalls between tenancies |
| Ceredigion County Council | Approximately 10 supplies, mostly vacant properties returned to the council |
| East Suffolk Council | 1 site managed outside the main contract |
Charnwood, East Ayrshire, East Cambridgeshire, Renfrewshire and Spelthorne said none. Mid Devon refused this part on cost grounds, and Braintree, Hyndburn and Perth and Kinross said the information was not held.
Out-of-contract and deemed rates are typically higher than negotiated rates, which is why the same issue matters for any business that moves premises or lets a fixed deal lapse.
Who supplies the councils
Most councils that answered buy through a public sector framework rather than going direct to a supplier. The Scottish councils named the Scottish Government's national electricity and gas frameworks, with EDF and TotalEnergies as suppliers. Dover, Elmbridge, Mid Devon, Spelthorne and Ceredigion named LASER, Kent County Council's energy buying service, with contracts ending in September or November 2028. Gloucester and Herefordshire buy through West Mercia Energy.
Mid Devon released its spend but withheld consumption under section 43(2), saying it would prejudice commercial interests. Ashford Borough Council refused the request under section 21, pointing to its published spending data, and later confirmed it buys through LASER.
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Related
- Business electricity prices by business size
- Business gas prices
- Business electricity use in every council area
- How to compare business energy
- Business energy brokers explained
- Wholesale electricity was about a quarter of what small businesses paid
Business Energy Consultant is published by Domain Farm Limited. The requests were made by Sam Allcock. Further replies are due by early November and this report will be updated as they arrive.