What Braintree District Council does

Braintree District Council is a statutory UK local government authority headquartered at Causeway House, Bocking End, Braintree, Essex, serving approximately 144,000 residential properties and local businesses across the Braintree District. Founded in 1974, the council delivers a comprehensive portfolio of statutory and discretionary services including kerbside waste collection and recycling, council tax administration, planning and building control, housing allocations and homelessness prevention, business rates, licensing, electoral registration, environmental health, and community health and wellbeing programmes. The council employs 101-250 staff with a total pay bill of £23.3M for 2024/25.

The council's technology platform is built on Jadu CMS, supporting a multi-channel service delivery model combining a primary digital channel (braintree.gov.uk), self-service portals (My Account for garden waste and bin management; Open Portal for council tax and business rates), online public access systems for planning and licensing, and traditional channels including telephone (01376 552525) and in-person service at Causeway House. Third-party integrations include ARC GIS for mapping, CMIS for councillor/committee management, GovDelivery for email newsletters, and ITrent for HR. The council is WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliant and operates active social media presence across YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Revenue is generated through statutory taxation mechanisms — council tax on residential properties, business rates on commercial properties — supplemented by central government grants (including the Rural England Prosperity Fund and Cost of Living Fund), subscription fees (garden waste at £55/year), planning and licensing fees, and commercial venue hire across three council-owned venues (Braintree Town Hall, I-Construct, and The Plaza at Horizon 120). The council operates under the direct-to-consumer GTM model, delivering services free at point of use or via subscription to residents and businesses within its geographic boundary. Leadership is headed by Council Leader Tom Cunningham, and the council is preparing for a major structural transition to a unitary council for Essex planned for April 2026 as part of the Greater Essex devolution programme.

Name

Braintree District Council

Legal name

Braintree District Council

Website

https://braintree.gov.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Braintree District Council is a statutory UK local government authority serving 144,000 residential properties and local businesses in Braintree District, Essex, delivering waste collection, planning, housing, council tax, licensing, and community services funded by taxation and government grants.

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 Housing Programs (925110)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Waste and recycling collection
• Council tax administration
• Planning and building control
• Community housing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Braintree

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Council Tax is the primary local taxation mechanism charged on residential properties. The council collects Council Tax and administers support schemes for eligible residents. Payment options include 10 monthly instalments (April–January), 12 monthly instalments (April–March), half-yearly (April and September), or a single payment in May. The council also reviews approximately 21,380 single person discount payers.
2. Business Rates: Non-domestic rates collected from businesses operating in the district. The council administers business rates billing, relief schemes, and rate recovery.
3. Garden Waste Subscription: Annual subscription service for garden waste collection. The primary subscription fee is £55 covering 12 months (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). Additional subscriptions cost £30 per year. Replacement or additional bins are charged at £37.25.
4. Planning Fees: Fees collected for planning applications, building control applications, pre-application advice, street naming and numbering, and local land charge searches.
5. Licensing Fees: Fees for alcohol and entertainment licences, animal licences, taxi and private hire licences, gambling licences, pavement licences, and other trading licences.
6. Government Grants: Central government funding including Rural England Prosperity Fund (granting £156k to 18 projects across the district), Cost of Living Fund (£1m committed over two years from January 2023), and general formula funding.
7. Venue Hire: Rental income from council-owned venues including Braintree Town Hall, I-Construct, and The Plaza at Horizon 120. Spaces include council chambers, conference rooms, committee rooms, and meeting rooms available for public hire at hourly rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Braintree District Council is the statutory local government authority for the Braintree district in Essex, England, delivering a broad portfolio of public services to residents and businesses. Its core offerings include household waste and recycling collection, planning application processing and building control inspections, council tax and business rates billing and collection, social and private housing services (including homelessness), environmental health, taxi and premises licensing, community transport, and operation of local venues for hire.

Product overview

Braintree District Council provides public sector services to residents of Braintree District, Essex. The council operates a comprehensive digital platform offering core resident services including waste collection and recycling (the new Simpler Recycling service), Council Tax, benefits administration, housing services, planning and building control, licensing, and community health and wellbeing support. Residents access services through the My Account portal and Open Portal system. The council also provides venue hire through Braintree District Venues and operates various community support programmes including cost of living assistance. Services are primarily delivered digitally via braintree.gov.uk supplemented by in-person and telephone support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Waste Subscription Service Annual opt-in subscription service providing kerbside collection of garden waste to households in the Braintree district, priced at £55 per bin per year.
• Council Tax Administration Statutory billing, collection, and recovery of council tax from residential properties in the district, including discount and exemption administration.
• Business Rates Administration Statutory billing, collection, and recovery of National Non-Domestic Rates from business premises in the district, including relief and exemption administration.
• Planning Application Service Statutory processing of planning applications, including determination of planning permission, listed building consents, and related applications for residents and developers.
• Building Control Service Statutory building regulations approval, inspection, and certification service for building works in the district, available to residents, builders, and developers on a fee-charging basis.
• Licensing Service Statutory licensing of premises (alcohol, entertainment, late-night refreshment), taxi and private hire drivers and vehicles, and other regulated activities, with associated fees.
• Household Waste and Recycling Collection Weekly or fortnightly kerbside collection of residual waste, mixed recycling, and food waste from households across the district.
• Housing Options and Homelessness Service Statutory housing advice, homelessness assessments, temporary accommodation placements, and allocation of council housing for eligible residents.
• Environmental Health Service Statutory inspection, advice, and enforcement across food safety, health and safety, pollution control, pest control, and private sector housing standards.
• Community Transport Service Door-to-door transport service for residents who are elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to use conventional public transport, connecting them to shops, health services, and community venues.
• Braintree District Venues Hire Booking and hire of council-owned venues and community halls for private events, functions, and community use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.4%+ collection success rate — more than 99.4% of 144,000 residential waste collections successfully completed in the first week of new service (June 2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Freedom LeisurecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2026Freedom Leisure is the council's leisure service provider, operating Braintree Sport and Health Club, Braintree Swimming and Fitness, Halstead Leisure Centre, and Witham Leisure Centre. The partnership provides free swimming sessions during extreme heat as part of the council's community wellbeing response. The council and Freedom Leisure collaborate on delivering accessible leisure facilities across the district, supporting the Livewell Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2028.
• Clearsprings Ready HomesminorOthers · 25 June 2025Clearsprings Ready Homes operates the Wethersfield Asylum Accommodation Centre on behalf of the Home Office. The centre, located at the former Wethersfield airfield in the Braintree District, has a current capacity of 800 and is set to expand to 1,245 (55% increase) and remain operational beyond 2027. The council has been engaged in ongoing liaison with the Home Office regarding the site, having raised more than 1,400 points of discussion since March 2023. The relationship is regulatory-administrative rather than commercial, as the Home Office imposes the facility on the district.
• Cost of Living PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024The Cost of Living Partnership comprises around 60 members from the community and voluntary sector and other council service departments. Established as part of the council's £1m Cost of Living Fund programme (January 2023), the partnership identifies issues and coordinates responses to support residents affected by rising costs. Partners provide frontline services and insights into how cost of living pressures are affecting residents, guiding the council's support efforts.
• The Plaza at Horizon 120minorOthersThe Plaza is a council-owned enterprise centre located at Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park. It provides modern flexible offices, co-working space, and bookable meeting rooms and event spaces. Operated as part of Braintree District Venues, it supports entrepreneurs, innovators, and businesses in the district.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/braintreedc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BraintreecouncilCM7
• Facebookfacebook.com/braintreedistrictcouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/braintreedc/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/braintree-district-council

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Braintree District Council