Rankings · London borough in England
Separate leagues. England, Scotland and Wales are measured differently, so a rank in one is not comparable with another. Why. England is stable; Scotland and Wales are provisional.
Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest council ranks 112th of 130 single-tier councils in England (likely range 100th to 121st), in the bottom quarter. Strongest on value for money (39th of 127), weakest on service quality (112th of 130).
Formally the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
Compare Waltham Forest with another council
Data period: Oldest figures 2024-25 (DEFRA and DHSC); newest as at 2026-11 (CQC). Published by CQC, DEFRA, DHSC, DfE, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, MHCLG and Ofsted.
Data last updated: · Last checked: . Sources publish on their own schedules, so figures can be older than the last check.
Methodology v2.0 (stable) · to cite: "Waltham Forest council, Council Rankings, 1 November 2026, https://councilrankings.com/council/waltham-forest/"
Likely range 100th–121st. Stays in the bottom quarter in 97% of re-runs. How we work this out
How Waltham Forest scores
Bar length shows the share of the 130 councils that Waltham Forest beats. Overall weights: service quality 60%, value for money 20%, financial health 20%. Select any measure below to see how every council compares on it.
Service quality
Allowing for need, Waltham Forest ranks 112th of 130 (likely range 100th–119th), against 112th unadjusted. That is about the same: need explains little of the difference between councils.
Adjusted: children's services, adult social care and waste & recycling. Not adjusted, because there is no published measure of need: planning, complaints, special educational needs and homelessness. This view is not part of the overall rank. How we adjust
Planning
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major planning decisions made in time (24 months) Higher is better | 93.1% | 93.7% | 69 / 130 | 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2 |
| Non-major planning decisions made in time (24 months) Higher is better | 85.4% | 92.0% | 107 / 130 | 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2 |
| Planning decisions in the financial year Higher is better · context only | 1,391 | 1,092 | – | 2025-26 |
Source: MHCLG — Planning application statistics (PS2)
Waste & recycling
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste sent for reuse recycling or composting Higher is better | 33.5% | 37.4% | =81 / 130 | 2024-25 |
| Residual household waste per household Lower is better | 556 kg | 516 kg | 93 / 130 | 2024-25 |
Source: DEFRA — Local authority collected waste management
Complaints
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ombudsman upheld decisions per 100k residents Lower is better | 11.8 | 4.8 | 121 / 130 | 2024-25 to 2025-26 |
| Ombudsman investigations upheld Lower is better | 81.5% | 81.9% | 62 / 130 | 2024-25 to 2025-26 |
| Ombudsman recommendations implemented on time Higher is better | 74.4% | 75.0% | 72 / 128 | 2025-26 |
| Ombudsman recommendations implemented Higher is better · context only | 100.0% | 100.0% | – | 2025-26 |
| Upheld complaints already remedied by the council before reaching the Ombudsman Higher is better · context only | 20.0% | 15.2% | – | 2025-26 |
Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman — annual review data
Children's services
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofsted overall effectiveness (children's services) Higher is better | Good | Good | =40 / 130 | latest at 2026-03-31 |
| Ofsted sub-judgements (average) Higher is better | 3.25 / 4 | Good | =43 / 130 | latest at 2026-03-31 |
Source: Ofsted — Local authority inspection outcomes
Adult social care
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CQC assessment score for adult social care Higher is better | 63.9%Good assessment published 21 November 2025 | 63.9% | =55 / 126 | latest at 2026-11 |
| Quality of life of people who use services (adjusted) Higher is better | 0.421 | 0.417 | =54 / 129 | 2024-25 |
| People who use services satisfied with their care and support Higher is better | 61.9% | 65.5% | =93 / 129 | 2024-25 |
| Older people still at home 12 weeks after hospital discharge into reablement Higher is better | 65.1% | 62.5% | 41 / 119 | 2024-25 |
| Adults aged 18 to 64 with a learning disability who live in their own home or with family Higher is better | 86.2% | 83.9% | =43 / 129 | 2024-25 |
| People who use services who feel safe Higher is better | 70.1% | 70.7% | 75 / 129 | 2024-25 |
Source: CQC — Local authority assessment reports; DHSC — Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework
Special educational needs
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks Higher is better | 37.1% | 58.3% | 90 / 130 | 2024 to 2025 |
Source: DfE — Education, health and care plans
Homelessness
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homelessness prevented: accommodation secured for 6+ months Higher is better | 42.7% | 51.7% | 99 / 130 | 2025-09 to 2026-03 |
| Homelessness relieved: accommodation secured for 6+ months Higher is better | 24.6% | 33.5% | 102 / 130 | 2025-09 to 2026-03 |
| Households in temporary accommodation per 1000 households Lower is better | 14.5 | 2.8 | 105 / 126 | 2026-03 |
| Families with children in B&B for more than 6 weeks Lower is better · context only | 5 | 0 | – | 2026-03 |
Value for money
Adult social care value for money
Waltham Forest spends £557 per adult on adult social care, against about £552 expected after allowing for older people's poverty, how many residents are over 65 and London's higher costs (£6 more). Its adult social care results rank 63rd of 125.
Good results, higher cost · value for money rank 69th of 122
Children's services value for money
Waltham Forest spends £1,156 per child on children's services, against about £1,603 expected after allowing for child poverty and London's higher costs (£447 less). Its children's services results rank 43rd of 130.
Good results, lower cost · value for money rank 13th of 127
Waste value for money
Waltham Forest spends £209 per home on waste & recycling, against about £197 expected after allowing for deprivation, London's higher costs and share of census output areas classed rural (£13 more). Its waste & recycling results rank 90th of 130.
Weaker results, higher cost · value for money rank 82nd of 127
Planning value for money
Waltham Forest spends £-68 per planning decision on planning, against about £402 expected after allowing for London's higher costs (£471 less). Its planning results rank 95th of 130.
Weaker results, lower cost · value for money rank 37th of 127
Financial health
Waltham Forest needed Exceptional Financial Support from government (2024-25 to 2026-27), so it ranks below every council that did not on financial health.
Reserves
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usable reserves as a share of net revenue expenditure Higher is better | 23.1% | 33.0% | 87 / 127 | 2025-26 |
| Change in usable reserves over the year as a share of net revenue expenditure Higher is better | -2.9% | 0.4% | 95 / 127 | 2025-26 |
Debt
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt servicing costs as a share of net revenue expenditure Lower is better | 6.8% | 9.7% | 38 / 127 | 2025-26 |
| Borrowing need (excluding council housing) as a share of net revenue expenditure Lower is better | 125.9% | 184.6% | 28 / 127 | 2024-25 borrowing, 2025-26 spend |
Schools funding deficit
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-needs (DSG) deficit as a share of net revenue expenditure Lower is better | 5.2% | 8.8% | 37 / 127 | 2025-26 |
Government bailouts
| Measure | Waltham Forest | Median of 130 | Rank | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exceptional Financial Support over three years as a share of net revenue expenditure Lower is better | 6.8% | 0.0% | 95 / 127 | 2024-25 to 2026-27 |
Context
Background figures. These don't count towards the score.
| Population | 283,713 | median 277,253 | mid-2025 |
| Net service spend per resident | £2,222.98 | median £2,026.28 | 2025-26 |
| Index of Multiple Deprivation average score | 23.453 | median 24.057 | 2025 |
| Families with children in B&B for more than 6 weeks | 5 | median 0 | 2026-03 |
| Who runs the council | Green majority | 16 September 2026 | |
| Seats on the council | Green 31, Labour 15, Conservative 14 (of 60 seats) | 16 September 2026 | |
| Audit opinion on the latest accounts | No audit opinion signed yet. PSAA status: unsigned. | 2025-26 | |
| Years of the last three with no audit opinion signed | 1 | median 1 | 2023-24 to 2025-26 |
| Band D council tax (council element) | £1,876.45 | median £1,969.00 | 2026-27 |
| Band D council tax change on previous year | 5.0% | median 5.0% | 2026-27 |
| Band D council tax total bill (incl. GLA/police/fire/combined authority) | £2,386.96 | median £2,435.01 | 2026-27 |
Also responsible in Waltham Forest
These services are run by other bodies, so they don't count towards Waltham Forest's score.
- Greater London Authority: transport (TfL); strategic planning; police & crime (MOPAC); fire (LFB)
- North London Waste Authority: waste disposal
Councils nearby
The closest ranked councils by distance between council centres. Nearness says nothing about how similar they are.
Questions about Waltham Forest
How good is Waltham Forest council?
Waltham Forest ranks 112th of 130 single-tier councils in England overall, in the bottom quarter, and 27th of 32 London boroughs. Its likely range is 100th to 121st. Its highest rank is on value for money (39th of 127) and its lowest on service quality (112th of 130). Ranks are on official data for service quality, value for money and financial health; nearby places are similar, so read it as a position, not a verdict. How we score · Compare Waltham Forest
Is Waltham Forest a single-tier council?
Yes. Waltham Forest is a London borough (formally the London Borough of Waltham Forest), and runs almost all local services in its area itself, with no county or district council alongside it. A few services are run by other bodies, listed above. Who is ranked
ONS code E09000031 · How we score · Report an error · Changelog