Portsmouth compared with councils in South East
Compared with the 13 councils in South East.
- Residents
- 211,475 (mid-2025)
- Band D council tax
- £2,292 a year in 2026-27, including police, fire and parish charges
Where Portsmouth sits
4
measures in the bottom quarter
4
measures below the middle
13
measures in the top half
Portsmouth compares worst with councils in South East on:
- council tax collected in the year it was due (13th of 13; 1st is highest)
- prevention cases ending with a home secured (11th of 12; 1st is highest)
- household waste reused, recycled or composted (10th of 12; 1st is highest)
It compares best on:
- fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents (1st of 13; 1st is lowest)
- enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents (1st of 13; 1st is highest)
- tenants satisfied with the overall service (1st of 8; 1st is highest)
SEND assessments
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 | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks 2025 | 42.9% | 43.0% | Below the middle 7th of 12 |
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 | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upheld complaints per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 5.7 | 7.8 | Top half 4th of 13 | |
| Complaints to the Ombudsman per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 31.2 | 46.9 | Top half 2nd of 13 | |
| Upheld complaints about children's services per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about special educational needs per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about homelessness per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld cases the council had already put right 2025-26 | 16.7% | 10.8% | Top half 4th of 12 | |
| Ombudsman remedies delivered on time 2025-26 | 77.8% | 77.0% | Top half 5th of 12 |
Council housing
From the tenant survey and performance figures every council landlord reports to the Regulator of Social Housing. Only councils that still own council homes are included.
| Measure | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenants satisfied with the overall service 2024-25 | 83.6% | 65.5% | Top half 1st of 8 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is well maintained 2024-25 | 84.1% | 64.9% | Top half 1st of 8 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is safe 2024-25 | 83.5% | 69.4% | Top half 1st of 8 | |
| Tenants who say the council listens and acts 2024-25 | 77.8% | 52.4% | Top half 1st of 8 | |
| Non-emergency repairs done within target time 2024-25 | 84.7% | 83.4% | Top half 4th of 8 | |
| Council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard 2024-25 | 4.5% | 4.7% | Top half 4th of 8 | |
| Stage 1 housing complaints answered in time 2024-25 | 55.4% | 61.0% | Below the middle 5th of 8 |
Council tax
How much of the year's council tax bills the council collected by 31 March.
| Measure | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax collected in the year it was due 2025-26 | 91.9% | 94.8% | Bottom quarter 13th of 13 |
Streets and waste
Fly-tipping the council recorded, how often it took enforcement action, and how much household waste was recycled.
| Measure | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents 2024-25 | 4.4 | 7.2 | Top half 1st of 13 | |
| Enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents 2024-25 | 125.8 | 30.9 | Top half 1st of 13 | |
| Household waste reused, recycled or composted 2023-24 | 27.9% | 49.4% | Bottom quarter 10th of 12 |
Homelessness
Temporary accommodation and the outcomes of homelessness cases, from the council's statutory returns.
| Measure | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households January to March 2026 | 6.9 | 3.9 | Bottom quarter 10th of 12 | |
| Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more January to March 2026 | 2.5% | 20.3% | Top half 2nd of 12 | |
| Prevention cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 32.7% | 50.9% | Bottom quarter 11th of 12 | |
| Relief cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 21.9% | 26.1% | Below the middle 8th of 12 |
Website
An automated test of the council website's accessibility.
| Measure | Portsmouth | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website accessibility score October 2026 | 92.8% | 92.8% | Below the middle 7th of 13 |
What the council spends
Net spending per resident in 2025-26, after fees, charges and specific grants, not counting schools. Spending more is not better or worse on its own. Negative highways figures come from parking income.
| Service | Portsmouth | Median | Rank, highest first | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's social care | £362 | £278 | 2nd of 13 | |
| Adult social care | £414 | £430 | 9th of 13 | |
| Public health | £110 | £65 | 1st of 13 | |
| Housing (general fund) | £101 | £52 | 3rd of 13 | |
| Environmental and regulatory | £110 | £110 | 7th of 13 | |
| Highways and transport | £71 | £33 | 2nd of 13 | |
| Culture and leisure | £54 | £33 | 4th of 13 | |
| Planning and development | £112 | £24 | 1st of 13 | |
| Central services | £38 | £52 | 11th of 13 | |
| All services excluding schools | £1,381 | £1,086 | 2nd of 13 |
Children's services inspection
Ofsted rated Portsmouth’s children's services good at its last full inspection, in May 2023.
- Outstanding
- 2 of the 13 councils in South East
- Good
- 7 of the 13 councils in South East, including Portsmouth
- Requires improvement
- 4 of the 13 councils in South East
- Inadequate
- 0 of the 13 councils in South East
Over time
Portsmouth against the median of councils in South East.
EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
By calendar year.
- Portsmouth: 42.9%
- Median (councils in South East): 43.0%
Upheld Ombudsman complaints per 100,000 residents
Using the latest population estimate for every year.
- Portsmouth: 5.7
- Median (councils in South East): 7.8
Household waste recycling rate
Reused, recycled or composted.
- Portsmouth: 27.9%
- Median (councils in South East): 49.4%
Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents
As recorded by the council.
- Portsmouth: 4.4
- Median (councils in South East): 7.2
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 Portsmouth. Councils in the group you are comparing with are darker. The dashed line is the group's median.