What Epping Forest District Council does

Epping Forest District Council is a local government authority established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, serving residents and businesses across 12+ towns and villages in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England, including Epping, Loughton, Chigwell, Waltham Abbey, Buckhurst Hill, Ongar, and surrounding areas. The council delivers a comprehensive portfolio of statutory public services spanning benefits administration, council tax and business rates collection, housing and homelessness support, planning and building control, environmental health, waste collection and recycling, licensing, leisure, and community services. It operates from its Civic Offices headquarters in Epping, a secondary office at The Limes Centre in Chigwell, and three community hubs, and partners with Citizens Advice, the Department for Work and Pensions, and Epping Forest Food Bank to deliver co-located advice services.

The council's technology infrastructure is built on a multi-vendor SaaS stack rather than proprietary platforms. Citizen portal services for council tax, benefits, and business rates are powered by MR Software (Access Group); the public planning register runs on Salesforce Arcus; activities and events booking is delivered through BookingLive; online application forms use Achieve Forms; and the website is hosted by CIVIC with Siteimprove, Axe, and WAVE providing automated WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility testing. The council publishes an Open Data Portal with datasets covering housing register, workforce, contract registers, and local spend under Open Government Licence terms. Its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Qualis Group and TVS, manage commercial properties and refuse/recycling collection respectively.

Revenue is generated through statutory council tax, non-domestic business rates, central government grants (revenue support grant and specific service grants), transactional fees (planning, licensing, parking, building control), and commercial income. A new paid garden waste subscription launched in February 2026 at £60 per bin annually represents a notable pricing model introduction. The council holds no parent company, is not listed, and is funded entirely through public-sector revenue mechanisms with no private equity or venture capital exposure. Its two wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, Qualis Group and TVS, provide commercial and refuse services respectively.

Name

Epping Forest District Council

Legal name

Epping Forest District Council

Website

https://eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Epping Forest District Council is a UK local government authority serving residents and businesses across 12+ towns in Essex, England. It delivers statutory services including council tax, planning, housing, waste collection, licensing, and community support via digital portals, two offices, and three community hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Planning and building control
• Housing and homelessness services
• Waste and recycling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Epping

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Annual tax levied on residential properties within the district to fund local services. Residents can pay online, by direct debit, or through various payment methods.
2. Business Rates: Non-domestic rates collected from businesses operating in the district. Also known as National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR).
3. Government Grants and Funding: Central government funding including revenue support grant, business rates retention, and specific grants for services like housing benefits.
4. Service Fees and Charges: Various fees including planning application fees, licensing fees, parking fines, building control fees, local land charge search fees, garden waste subscription (£60/year), and other service charges.
5. Commercial Activities: Income from commercial properties rental, North Weald Airfield operations, and other trading activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Epping Forest District Council is the statutory local government authority for the Epping Forest district in Essex, England, delivering mandated public services to residents and businesses including council tax and business rates billing, housing and homelessness support, planning and building control, environmental health, waste collection and recycling, leisure facilities, licensing, electoral services, and community development. It operates through a digital service portal backed by offices, community hubs, and partnerships with Citizens Advice, DWP, and local charities.

Product overview

Epping Forest District Council operates a comprehensive digital service portfolio delivered through multiple integrated citizen-facing portals. The core infrastructure includes citizen portal services (powered by MR Soft Ware) for council tax, benefits, and business rates; an online payment gateway for bill settlement; a planning register (Salesforce-based Arcus platform) for development applications; BookingLive for leisure activities; and Achieve Forms for application processing. The council provides approximately 20 distinct service categories spanning benefits administration, housing, planning, environmental services, licensing, parking, and community services. Services are accessed primarily through the main website with dedicated portals for specific functions. The council does not offer commercial products but delivers public sector services to residents of the Epping Forest district.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Council Tax Services Council Tax billing, payments, exemptions, discounts, support schemes, appeals, and premium property management for long-term empty properties. Used by residential property owners and tenants in the Epping Forest district.
• Business Rates Services Business rates billing, payments, relief schemes (charitable, small business, retail/hospitality/leisure), exemptions, and revaluation management. Used by commercial property occupiers and business operators in the Epping Forest district.
• Planning and Building Control Planning application search, viewing, and commenting; building control approval; local land charges; street naming and numbering; self-build register; and biodiversity net gain assessment. Used by property developers, homeowners, and builders operating or planning within the Epping Forest district.
• Licensing Services Licence applications including taxi licensing, gambling, pavement licences, animal licences, tattoo/piercing registration, and market licences. Used by businesses and individuals operating regulated activities within the district.
• Recycling and Rubbish Collection Bin collection scheduling, missed collection reporting, garden waste subscription (£60/year per bin), food waste separation, trade waste services, street cleaning, and recycling centre information. Delivered directly and through wholly-owned subsidiary TVS Ltd. Used by all 60,000+ households and businesses in the district.
• Benefits Administration Housing Benefit applications, calculations, and overpayment management including Universal Credit integration, Local Housing Allowance support, Exceptional Hardship Payments, and benefit fraud reporting. Used by low-income and vulnerable residents of the district.
• Housing and Homelessness Services Online application system for council housing, homeless support, and related tenancy services. Manages the district's housing register of 1,855 applicants across priority bands as of 30 November 2025. Used by residents in housing need including homeless individuals and those at risk of homelessness.
• Environmental Services Climate change action plan, air quality management, flood prevention, contaminated land oversight, food safety inspections, pest control, tree preservation, and countryside management. Used by residents, businesses, and partner agencies across the district.
• Leisure and Culture Services Sports and leisure centres, museums, Play in the Park activities, Treasure Trails, North Weald Airfield events (including aviation and landing fees), and community falls prevention exercise services. Used by district residents, sports participants, visitors, and aviation users.
• Parking and Travel Services Car park locations and payments, parking fine management, MOT booking services, electric vehicle charging support, and public transport information. Used by district residents, commuters, and visitors.
• Problem Reporting Service Online portal for reporting issues including anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, noise complaints, planning breaches, highway issues, and environmental concerns. Used by residents and businesses in the district.
• Online Payment Services Pay council bills, fines, invoices, parking fines, council tax, business rates, housing rent, leasehold charges, and North Weald Airfield landing fees through an integrated payment gateway. Used by residents and businesses making statutory and transactional payments to the council.
• Elections and Voting Services Voter registration, election information, polling station finder, postal and proxy voting applications, and annual electoral register canvass. Used by eligible voters resident in the district.
• Crime and Safety Services Anti-social behaviour reporting, hate crime reporting, fixed penalty notices, abandoned vehicle reporting, CCTV image requests, community policing partnerships, and safeguarding services. Used by residents, businesses, and partner agencies such as Essex Police and ECFRS.
• Events and Activities Booking Online booking system for leisure activities, summer holiday programmes, museum visits, sports sessions, and North Weald Airfield events through the BookingLive platform. Used by residents, families with children, and visitors.
• Freedom of Information Services FOI request submission and processing, subject access requests under GDPR, and Environmental Information Regulations requests. Used by residents, journalists, and organisations seeking statutory information from the council.
• Community Services and Grants Youth projects, carers support, dementia services, community fund grants, digital inclusion initiatives, health and wellbeing strategy, Ukraine crisis support, Community Champions programme, and Epping Forest Youth Council participation. Used by community organisations, voluntary groups, carers, young people, and vulnerable residents.
• Open Data Portal Public access to council datasets including parking accounts, housing register data, workforce data, contract registers, member allowances, and local spend data, published under the Open Government Licence. Used by residents, researchers, and partner organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Community Safety Partnership coordinating crime prevention across the district
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TVS LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTVS Ltd is the contracted provider for refuse and recycling collection services in the Epping Forest district. During the 2026 heatwave, TVS crews continued regular rounds and completed missed collections without service suspension.
• Shaw TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShaw Trust conducted accessibility assessments of the council's website in 2025, both technically and manually, to ensure compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 A and AA criteria.
• Citizens Advice Epping ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens Advice provides advice services available at community hubs in Epping, Loughton, and Waltham Abbey, supporting residents with benefits, debt, and other advice needs.
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWP advisors available at community hubs to support residents with Universal Credit applications and employment services.
• Epping Forest Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank services available at community hubs providing emergency food support to residents in financial crisis.
• Buckhurst Hill Money Advice ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal money advice service providing debt management support to residents in Buckhurst Hill area.
• Superfast EssexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Essex County Council to improve broadband connectivity and digital infrastructure in the district.
• Essex County Fire and Rescue ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECFRS provides fire safety advice, wildfire prevention, and emergency response coordination. The council shares wildfire prevention advice and supports safety campaigns.
• Essex PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Community Safety Partnership to coordinate crime prevention, anti-social behaviour response, domestic abuse awareness, and community policing.
• Environment AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency providing environmental guidance and flood warning services. Residents can sign up for flood warnings through the Environment Agency website.
• CIVICcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting provider responsible for the council's main website infrastructure and accessibility improvements.
• Qualis GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned council company managing various commercial and property activities for the council.
• Southend, Essex & Thurrock Domestic Abuse Board (SETDAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership board coordinating domestic abuse prevention and support services across the region, including the #Reflect campaign.
• Essex County FAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball association supporting Essex Police campaigns during major sporting events to promote safe and responsible behaviour.
• Visit EssexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism organization (Essex County Council) supporting the West Essex Tourism Conference and district tourism development.
• City of London CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages Epping Forest as a conservation area and open space, with joint initiatives on environmental protection and public access.
• Lee Valley Regional Park AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional park authority managing leisure facilities including Lee Valley White Water Centre, promoted on the council's leisure pages.
• Harlow and Gilston Garden TownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-boundary partnership for sustainable development and growth in the Harlow and Gilston area affecting eastern parts of the district.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eppingforestdc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/eppingforestdc/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/eppingforestdc
• Instagraminstagram.com/eppingforestdc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epping-forest-district-council

Compliance3 records

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

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Epping Forest District Council