Changelog

Every change we make to the method, the data or what a page says, newest first. If we correct a mistake, it is listed here with the date. To report one, see corrections and challenges.

1. 19 October 2026DisplayMethodology v2.0

   The London boroughs page now opens with a short answer to "Which council in London is the best?", naming the top-ranked borough, its position on each pillar and the next two, drawn from the published ranking. No figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: London boroughs

2. 15 October 2026DisplayMethodology v2.0

   A new compare page puts any two councils side by side: overall rank and likely range, each pillar and domain, and every measure with its national median. It is linked from each council page. No figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: All councils

3. 13 October 2026MethodMethodology v2.0

   Methodology v2.0 adds England's 62 unitary councils to the rankings, alongside the 32 London and 36 metropolitan boroughs, so 130 councils are now ranked; the Isles of Scilly is shown but not ranked, like the City of London. Unitaries run the same services, so the measures and weights are unchanged, and unitary councils get their own comparison table. Waste value for money now also allows for how rural an area is, because collecting over long distances costs more. Positions are now out of 130, but the 68 boroughs' order among themselves barely changes (rank correlation 0.993); only Bromley and Kensington and Chelsea move more than 5 places among them. Croydon, previously 68th of 68, is now 125th of 130.

   Councils affected: All

4. 13 October 2026CorrectionMethodology v1.0

   The note explaining why the City of London is shown but not ranked said it has about 8,600 residents, the 2021 census count. ONS's mid-2025 estimate, which the site uses elsewhere, is about 15,600; the note now says so. The reason for not ranking it is unchanged, and no figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: City of London

5. 13 October 2026CorrectionMethodology v1.0

   The methodology page's explanation of why roads aren't scored said 20 of the 68 councils used A-road survey methods the Department for Transport says aren't directly comparable; its figures show 11. It also said most councils differ by only a point or two; most have between 3% and 8% of A roads in poor condition. Roads are still not scored, for the reasons given, and no figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: All councils

6. 13 October 2026DisplayMethodology v2.0

   Each measure on a council page now links to a page listing every council's figure on that measure, in rank order for scored measures and highest to lowest for context figures. The map's band colours are brighter, with a key. No figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: All councils

7. 12 October 2026DisplayMethodology v1.0

   The home page now lists the ten highest-ranked councils, each with its likely range, below the full table. No figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: All councils

8. 9 October 2026MethodMethodology v1.0

   Methodology v1.0: the method is now stable. It is v0.8 unchanged (every measure, weight, score and rank is the same), but the measures and weights are now fixed, and any change will come as a new, dated version listed here.

   Councils affected: All

9. 9 October 2026DisplayMethodology v0.8

   The methodology page now has a section on what we don't score and why: roads, crime and fly-tipping, each checked against the official data and left out because the figures can't compare councils fairly. No figure or rank changed.

   Councils affected: All

10. 4 October 2026Display

    Resident ratings and sign-in accounts have been removed. The site no longer collects any personal data from visitors. Rankings are unaffected: ratings were never part of them.

    Councils affected: All

11. 4 October 2026DisplayMethodology v0.8

    Council pages now show who runs the council and the seats each party holds, from Open Council Data UK, refreshed monthly. Shown for context, not scored, so no rank changes. The methodology page explains the source, how its labels are read and the limits of our checks.

    Councils affected: All councils

12. 1 October 2026MethodMethodology v0.8

    Methodology v0.8 adds a second view of service quality, adjusted for need (children's services, adult social care and waste are compared with councils of similar need). The main ranking, every pillar and every weight are unchanged.

    Councils affected: All

13. 1 October 2026Correction

    Wording corrections on the methodology page and measure notes: the homelessness measures said they combine the latest 4 years when they combine up to 4 quarters; the page said the median council moved 2 places or fewer in our alternative rankings when the figure is 3 (these numbers are now generated from the results); a leftover note on the Ombudsman measure said 'to be recomputed'; the council tax note was out of date; the borrowing measure now lists the Capital Outturn Return as a source. The schools-funding deficit measure now notes the government's planned High Needs Stability Grant (90% of deficits at 31 March 2026). No figures or ranks changed.

    Councils affected: All

14. 1 October 2026Correction

    The adult social care measure ASCOF 2E(1) was described as covering everyone receiving long-term support. It covers only adults aged 18 to 64 with a learning disability. The figures were right; the description (on council pages and the methodology page) was wrong and has been corrected.

    Councils affected: All

15. 1 October 2026Correction

    The audit-status line on council pages said 'Opinion signed at the government's backstop deadline'. That was wrong for councils whose opinion was signed earlier (for 2024-25, 21 signed more than two weeks before the deadline). It now shows the date the opinion was signed and PSAA's own status wording, and the methodology page no longer implies a type of opinion.

    Councils affected: All councils shown as "delivered by backstop" (66)

16. 1 October 2026Correction

    The 'Also responsible' panel left out that South Yorkshire's mayor has exercised the police and crime commissioner's functions since 7 May 2024. Added.

    Councils affected: Barnsley; Doncaster; Rotherham; Sheffield

17. 1 October 2026Display

    The Greater Manchester combined authority's waste item read 'all boroughs except Wigan' on every council's page. Wigan's page no longer lists waste disposal for the combined authority, and the other nine show 'waste disposal'.

    Councils affected: Bolton; Bury; Manchester; Oldham; Rochdale; Salford; Stockport; Tameside; Trafford; Wigan

18. 1 October 2026Display

    Council pages now show CQC's rating (for example 'Inadequate') and the date of its assessment beside the adult social care score, not the percentage alone.

    Councils affected: All

19. 1 October 2026Display

    Council pages now show whether the council's accounts have a signed audit opinion, from Public Sector Audit Appointments' monthly data. This is shown for context and is not scored.

    Councils affected: All

20. 1 October 2026MethodMethodology v0.7

    Methodology v0.7 adds the size of each council's borrowing (excluding council housing) to the debt measure of financial health. Effect on the ranking is small: rank correlation 0.998 with v0.6 and no council moves more than 5 places (largest: Oldham, 24th to 29th).

    Councils affected: All

21. 1 October 2026Data refresh

    First scheduled quarterly data refresh: figures re-read from the official sources and the ranking re-run.

    Councils affected: All

22. 1 October 2026DisplayMethodology v0.8

    The notes on the two planning-speed indicators now say that applications decided within a time limit agreed with the applicant (an extension of time or a planning performance agreement) count as in time, and that environmental impact assessment cases have 16 weeks rather than 13. No figure or rank changed.

    Councils affected: All councils

23. 24 September 2026MethodMethodology v0.6

    Methodology v0.6 adds CQC's independent assessment of adult social care to the adult social care domain. Salford, CQC's only 'Inadequate' among the 68, moves from 4th to 19th.

    Councils affected: All

24. 24 September 2026MethodMethodology v0.5

    Methodology v0.4 and v0.5: a revised bailout rule (financial health only), value for money no longer counts results twice, debt costs and reweighting, and a likely range for every council's rank.

    Councils affected: All

25. 24 September 2026Launch

    Council Rankings launched: 68 London and metropolitan boroughs ranked on service quality, value for money and financial health, from official open data.

    Councils affected: All

Methodology versions are dated and each ranking can be reproduced from its version and data snapshot (shown at the foot of every page). Small wording and layout changes may not be listed.