Portsmouth City Council

What Portsmouth City Council does

Portsmouth City Council is the unitary local authority responsible for delivering statutory and discretionary local government services across the city of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. The council serves all Portsmouth residents, providing a comprehensive suite of public services including council tax administration, housing allocation and landlord services (through its Portsmouth Homes subsidiary), adult social care and telecare (Safe at Home service), planning, licensing, environmental health and trading standards, community safety, benefits advice, waste management, education support, and registration services. The council also operates Portsmouth International Port as a wholly-owned trading subsidiary and partners with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Modern Slavery Partnership, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and Portsmouth safeguarding boards on regional crime, safety, and child/adult protection.

The council's revenue model is funded primarily through Council Tax (residential and business properties, billed annually across A-H bands), central government grants including Homes England funding for housing development, licensing and regulatory fees, housing revenue and tenancy charges from Portsmouth Homes, and service/use charges for parking, garages, temporary accommodation, and sheltered housing. Pricing for transactional services such as licensing is fee-based, while housing and council tax operate as recurring annual or monthly billing. Direct-to-consumer service delivery is multi-channel: residents access services in person at the Guildhall Square civic offices, online through portsmouth.gov.uk and the Granicus-powered My Portsmouth self-service portal (my.portsmouth.gov.uk), by telephone, or through service locations distributed across the city. Social media channels (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Vimeo) and email newsletters via GovDelivery provide outreach and engagement.

Service delivery relies on third-party platforms including Granicus for online transactions, Astraline Ltd as a joint data controller for telecare monitoring, and Umo's Assisted Living Platform for Telecare equipment. The council has published a Data Strategy (2026) outlining digital transformation objectives. Strategic commercial partnerships include VIVID (housing association) and Homes England for affordable housing delivery, exemplified by the Victory Quay development of 835 new homes. Because it is a public-sector body, the council is not investable in the conventional PE/VC sense and is instead funded by taxation and statutory grants under central government oversight.

Name

Portsmouth City Council

Legal name

Portsmouth City Council

Website

https://portsmouth.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Portsmouth City Council is the unitary local authority for Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, delivering statutory public services including housing, adult social care, telecare, planning, licensing, and environmental health to all city residents and businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Public Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Port and Harbor Operations (48831)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Social housing management
• Adult social care
• Statutory planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Local taxation collected from residents and businesses within Portsmouth to fund council services.
2. Government Funding and Grants: Central government funding, housing grants, and other statutory funding streams including Homes England partnerships for housing development.
3. Licensing and Regulatory Fees: Fees collected for licensing activities including alcohol licensing, gambling licenses, street collections, and other regulatory services.
4. Housing Revenue and Tenancy Charges: Income from council housing (Portsmouth Homes), temporary accommodation placements, sheltered housing services, and related housing management fees.
5. Service Charges and Use and Occupation Fees: Charges for various council services including temporary accommodation, supported housing, sheltered housing, garage and parking facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Portsmouth City Council is a unitary local government authority delivering statutory and discretionary public services to Portsmouth residents. Core offerings include council tax administration, social and affordable housing via Portsmouth Homes, adult social care, planning and licensing, environmental health, waste and recycling, parking and roads, benefits advice, and community safety. Digital service delivery is enabled through the My Portsmouth online portal and the Safe at Home telecare monitoring service for vulnerable residents.

Product overview

Portsmouth City Council operates as a unitary local authority providing a comprehensive portfolio of public services to residents. The council's service portfolio is delivered through its main website (portsmouth.gov.uk) and dedicated citizen portal (My Portsmouth), along with specialized services including housing management, adult social care, and telecare support. The council's digital services are partially powered by third-party platforms including Granicus (for the citizen portal) and partnerships with Astraline Ltd and Umo (for telecare services). The council provides services across multiple domains including council tax, benefits, housing, planning, licensing, environmental health, and community safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• My Portsmouth Citizen Portal A citizen-facing online portal built on the Granicus GovService platform that enables Portsmouth residents to access council services online, make payments (including council tax and penalty charge notices), apply for services such as parking permits, find bin collection dates, report issues, and complete other transactions with the council without visiting civic offices in person.
• Safe at Home Telecare Service A telecare monitoring and emergency response service for vulnerable Portsmouth residents, provided through a partnership between Portsmouth City Council and Astraline Ltd (monitoring centre), powered by Umo's electronic Assisted Living Platform. It supports independent living by enabling remote monitoring and alarm response for elderly and disabled adults in their homes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 835 new homes to be delivered through Victory Quay development
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VIVIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIVID is a housing association partner collaborating with Portsmouth City Council on the Victory Quay housing development, which will deliver 835 new homes including social rent and shared ownership units. VIVID brings housing development expertise and investment to the partnership.
• Homes EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomes England is the national housing and regeneration agency providing funding and support for affordable housing development. They partner with Portsmouth City Council on housing projects including Victory Quay to address local housing demand.
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight Modern Slavery PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortsmouth City Council is an active member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Modern Slavery Partnership, which has developed a Modern Slavery Partnership Strategy 2023-2026. The partnership coordinates efforts to identify, prevent, and respond to modern slavery across the region.
• Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of WightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe council works with the Police and Crime Commissioner on community safety, modern slavery prevention, and enforcement activities. Joint efforts include security meetings, intelligence sharing, and coordinated responses to community safety issues.
• Portsmouth Safeguarding Children PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe council participates in the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership, overseeing child protection and referral processes including links to the Independent Child Trafficking Advocacy Service.
• Portsmouth Safeguarding Adults BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe council works with the Portsmouth Safeguarding Adults Board on adult protection, reporting concerns, and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
• Portsmouth International PortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortsmouth International Port is operated by Portsmouth City Council and involves partnerships with UK Border Force, Police, Civil Contingencies, and other agencies for port security and modern slavery oversight.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Middlesbrough Council: Unitary authority operating comprehensive local services including council housing, social care, and waste, with comparable scale and similar regeneration and housing-demand dynamics.
• Hull City Council: Unitary authority with significant council housing stock and acute housing-demand pressures similar to Portsmouth. Comparable in operating a wholly owned housing service and managing large homelessness caseloads.
• Southampton City Council: Neighbouring unitary authority on the south coast providing an almost identical portfolio of statutory and discretionary services (housing, social care, waste, licensing, planning). Highly comparable population size, demographic mix, and coastal/port-city economics make it the closest peer.
• Brighton & Hove City Council: South-coast unitary authority with comparable scale, urban density, and service breadth. Operates its own housing stock, social care, and licensing regimes and faces similar housing-affordability and homelessness pressures as Portsmouth.
• Plymouth City Council: Large unitary coastal authority with a similar mix of defence heritage, port operations, and social housing. Comparable in scale and service breadth, including environmental health, licensing, and council housing.
• Norwich City Council: Mid-sized unitary authority delivering housing, social care, waste, and licensing services to a comparable urban population. Similar governance model and dependence on council tax and central grants.
• Reading Borough Council: Unitary authority running its own housing stock and full range of statutory services, with comparable headcount scale and a similar urban service-delivery profile.
• Portsmouth International Port: Wholly owned subsidiary of Portsmouth City Council itself, but comparable as a port-operating entity alongside peers such as other municipally operated UK ports, sharing governance and strategic alignment with the parent authority.

Regional players

• Hampshire County Council: Two-tier county authority covering the same region as Portsmouth. While Portsmouth is a unitary (so does not delegate services to Hampshire), Hampshire operates overlapping functions (social care, highways, waste) in adjacent districts, providing a useful comparator for shared service costs.

Broad incumbents

• Associated British Ports: Largest UK port operator, managing many ports including in the south coast region. Relevant as an industry benchmark for Portsmouth International Port's operational and commercial performance, although it operates at much greater scale across multiple geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/portsmouthtoday
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpdYrJR3aCngwulT4yV00XQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Portsmouthcitycouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portsmouth-city-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/portsmouthcitycouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portsmouth City Council