Forest Dean District Council

What Forest Dean District Council does

Forest of Dean District Council is a statutory local government authority established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, serving the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England. It is headquartered at Council Offices on High Street, Coleford, and operates as a public sector entity with no parent company or private ownership structure. The council delivers a comprehensive portfolio of statutory local services organised across eight operational areas: bins and recycling, council tax and benefits, planning and building, business and licensing, housing, environment, communities/health/leisure, and parking/travel/visitors.

The council's underlying technology is a website-based service delivery platform (fdean.gov.uk) supporting online payments, a planning application portal, an online account management system for council tax and benefits, and digital newsletter distribution (via eepurl.com). There is no public API, no native mobile application, and no disclosed AI or machine learning capabilities. Service delivery combines the digital platform with a physical Coleford office, a telephone contact centre (01594 810000), written correspondence, and outreach through Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and local press.

Revenue is generated through statutory taxation (council tax on residential properties banded A–H, business rates on commercial premises), transaction-based fees (licensing, planning applications, parking), optional subscription services (garden waste collection, commercial waste), and central government grants including a £1,000,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation. The council is governed by elected councillors and administered through a tiered structure that includes strategic partnership with Gloucestershire County Council, joint operational arrangements with parish and town councils, and a contracting relationship with Ubico Ltd (jointly owned by Cheltenham Borough and Cotswold District Councils) for environmental services. Its most prominent forward-looking initiative is a formal application submitted in March 2026 for UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation covering the district.

Name

Forest Dean District Council

Legal name

Forest of Dean District Council

Website

https://fdean.gov.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Forest of Dean District Council is a UK statutory local government authority, established 1974, delivering council tax, waste collection, planning, licensing, housing, and environmental services to residents and businesses of the Forest of Dean district in Gloucestershire from its Coleford headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Public Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Conservation Programs (924120)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Coleford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Council Tax Collection: Statutory local taxation collected from residents to fund council services. Based on property valuations in bands A-H.
2. Business Rates (Non-Domestic Rates): Levies on commercial properties and businesses operating within the district.
3. Licensing Fees: Fees for various business licenses including taxis, alcohol/entertainment, animal licenses, pavement licences, scrap metal, gambling, and other regulated activities.
4. Parking Charges: Revenue from car parks and parking permits within the district.
5. Planning Application Fees: Statutory fees for planning permission and building regulations applications.
6. Garden Waste Subscription: Optional paid subscription service for garden waste collections.
7. Government Grants and Funding: Central government funding including UK Shared Prosperity Fund (£1,000,000), Rural England Prosperity Fund, and Levelling Up Fund allocations.
8. Commercial Waste Services: Waste collection services provided to businesses on a commercial basis.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Forest of Dean District Council provides statutory and discretionary local government services to residents and businesses within the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England. Core service areas include waste collection and recycling, council tax administration and benefits, planning and building regulation, business licensing and rates, housing and homelessness support, environmental protection and climate action, community health and leisure services, and parking and visitor amenities. Services are delivered directly through council operations, an online self-service portal, and physical offices.

Product overview

Forest of Dean District Council provides a comprehensive range of local government public services organized as distinct operational areas rather than a unified software product. The core service portfolio includes: Bins and Recycling (waste collection management), Council Tax and Benefits (taxation and financial support), Planning and Building (development control and conservation), Business and Licensing (commercial services and regulatory licensing), Housing (residential support and homelessness services), Environment (environmental protection and climate action), Communities/Health/Leisure (community wellbeing and safety), and Parking/Travel (transport and visitor services). Residents access services through the main website with a dedicated online account management portal for managing Council Tax, business rates, and benefits. The council is also pursuing UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation as a major strategic initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forest Linkline: Community alarm service for vulnerable residents
• Forest Lottery
• ForestCollab

Products and services

• Bins and Recycling Services Waste collection services for residents of the Forest of Dean district, including general waste, recycling, food waste, and optional garden waste collections. Includes bin day checking, missed bin reporting, replacement bin requests, and access to household recycling centres.
• Council Tax and Benefits Council Tax payment processing, benefit claims administration (including Housing Benefit and Universal Credit support), cost of living assistance, and online account management for residents of the Forest of Dean district.
• Planning and Building Services Planning permission applications, building regulations approval, Local Plan policies, wildlife and biodiversity assessments, tree preservation orders, and conservation area management for the Forest of Dean district.
• Business and Licensing Services Business rates management, license applications and renewals (taxis, alcohol, gambling, food premises, animal, scrap metal, pavement), commercial property services, and business support including grants and funding access for businesses in the Forest of Dean district.
• Housing Services Housing applications, homelessness support, private housing advice, landlord services, housing grants, and energy efficiency programs including the Warm and Well scheme for residents of the Forest of Dean district.
• Environment Services Environmental protection services including flooding advice, noise and pollution management, air quality monitoring, fly tipping reporting, landscape maintenance, and climate action initiatives for the Forest of Dean district.
• Communities, Health and Leisure Services Community wellbeing programmes, leisure centre information, community safety initiatives, grants and funding for community groups, refugee support, and the Forest Lottery community lottery supporting local charities.
• Parking, Travel and Visitors Services Pay or appeal parking fines, car park locations and charges, parking permits, public toilets, and tourism information for visitors to the Forest of Dean area.
• Online Account Management Portal Online self-service portal enabling residents and businesses to manage Council Tax accounts, business rates, benefits claims, view planning applications, subscribe to newsletters, and submit general enquiries.
• Forest Linkline Community Alarm Service Community alarm service for vulnerable residents of the Forest of Dean district, providing emergency contact and monitoring support.
• Forest Lottery Community lottery supporting local charities within the Forest of Dean district.
• Commercial Waste Collection Service Commercial waste collection service provided to businesses operating within the Forest of Dean district on a subscription basis.
• Garden Waste Subscription Service Optional annual subscription service for garden waste collection via the green wheelie bin, available to residents of the Forest of Dean district.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gloucestershire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Partner in UNESCO Biosphere application for Forest of Dean. Gloucestershire County Council confirmed support for the biosphere bid on 4 November 2025. County council is the upper-tier local authority responsible for highways, education, libraries, adult social care, and fire services within the area.
• Biosphere Partners (Forest Economic Partnership et al)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025Multiple partners confirmed on board for the UNESCO Biosphere designation bid. Includes Forest Economic Partnership (FEP), environmental organisations, community groups, land managers, and businesses working collaboratively on the biosphere application and sustainable development goals.
• Ubico LtdminorOthersUbico is a company wholly owned by Cheltenham Borough and Cotswold District Councils providing environmental services including garden waste collection for Forest of Dean District Council. Operates waste collection vehicles with CCTV for health and safety monitoring.
• Gloucestershire County CouncilcoreOthersGloucestershire County Council and Forest of Dean District Council work together on shared service delivery. County council handles strategic functions (education, highways, libraries, social care) while district council handles local services. Partnership referenced in biosphere bid and general council operations.
• Parish and Town CouncilsminorOthersNetwork of parish and town councils within Forest of Dean district, including Newent Town Council, Westdean Parish Council, and others. Parish councils receive funding via precept on council tax and handle local issues including allotments, bus shelters, parks, playgrounds, and community facilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stroud District Council: Another Gloucestershire district council providing identical statutory services to residents and businesses; comparable governance structure (elected councillors, chief executive) and revenue mix from council tax, business rates, and grants.
• Tewkesbury Borough Council: Neighbouring Gloucestershire district council delivering the same statutory service portfolio: council tax, planning, waste collection, licensing, and housing services. Directly comparable scope and scale.
• Cotswold District Council: Statutory neighbour and joint shareholder of Ubico Ltd (along with Forest of Dean and Cheltenham). Provides the same UK district-level services - council tax, planning, waste, licensing - within a comparable rural Gloucestershire geography.
• Cheltenham Borough Council: Co-owner of Ubico Ltd with Forest of Dean and Cotswold, providing environmental services including garden waste collection. Operates as a Gloucestershire district council delivering council tax, business rates, planning, and licensing services.
• Gloucester City Council: Lower-tier local authority within Gloucestershire delivering statutory district-level services to residents and businesses in an urban setting; partner of Forest of Dean within the same county council framework.
• Rushcliffe Borough Council: Small-to-mid English district council delivering council tax, planning, waste, and licensing services; useful for benchmarking digitisation and revenue diversification approaches for a rural-leaning district.

Regional players

• West Oxfordshire District Council: Rural English district council within a comparable geographic and demographic profile (small population, significant natural environment, similar tourism pressure); delivers the same statutory service mix as Forest of Dean.
• Malvern Hills District Council: District council serving a similarly rural and environmentally significant area (Malvern Hills AONB), with overlapping responsibilities in planning, conservation, and visitor management that mirror Forest of Dean's biosphere-led focus.
• Herefordshire Council: Unitary authority on Forest of Dean's western border with a comparable rural, nature-rich footprint; provides planning, waste, council tax, and environmental services across a similarly-sized population base.

Others

• Forestry England: Government body managing the public forest estate within the Forest of Dean; an ecosystem partner and adjacent land manager rather than a service-delivery competitor, but directly relevant to the UNESCO Biosphere collaboration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FoDDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSbpIUr-_NjNcoub_uxLHHQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/FODDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-of-dean-district-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/forestofdeandc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Forest Dean District Council