Rankings · Methodology · Financial health · Debt
Debt servicing costs as a share of net revenue expenditure
Lower is better. One of the measures behind the debt score; councils are listed by their rank on it alone, which is not their overall rank. The median of the 130 is 9.7%.
Repaying principal (MRP) plus external interest, less interest paid by the Housing Revenue Account, / net revenue expenditure. How much of each year's budget goes on past borrowing. Excludes leases.
| Rank | Council | Debt servicing costs as a share of net revenue expenditure | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Camden | -0.3% | London borough |
| =1 | Hammersmith and Fulham | -0.0% | London borough |
| =1 | Islington | 0.2% | London borough |
| =1 | Bromley | 0.4% | London borough |
| =1 | Wandsworth | 1.3% | London borough |
| =1 | Leicester | 2.9% | Unitary council |
| =1 | Sutton | 3.1% | London borough |
| 8 | Sefton | 3.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 9 | Oldham | 3.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 10 | Tower Hamlets | 3.9% | London borough |
| 11 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 4.0% | Unitary council |
| 12 | Merton | 4.0% | London borough |
| 13 | Wigan | 4.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 14 | Buckinghamshire | 4.5% | Unitary council |
| 15 | Hartlepool | 4.5% | Unitary council |
| 16 | Richmond upon Thames | 4.5% | London borough |
| 17 | Rutland | 4.6% | Unitary council |
| 18 | Calderdale | 4.7% | Metropolitan borough |
| 19 | Bedford | 4.8% | Unitary council |
| 20 | Stockton-on-Tees | 5.0% | Unitary council |
| 21 | North Yorkshire | 5.0% | Unitary council |
| 22 | North Somerset | 5.2% | Unitary council |
| 23 | Bury | 5.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 24 | Sheffield | 5.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 25 | Tameside | 5.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 26 | Bolton | 5.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 27 | Hackney | 6.0% | London borough |
| 28 | Dorset | 6.0% | Unitary council |
| 29 | Bexley | 6.0% | London borough |
| 30 | North Northamptonshire | 6.1% | Unitary council |
| 31 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 6.4% | Unitary council |
| 32 | Havering | 6.4% | London borough |
| 33 | County Durham | 6.4% | Unitary council |
| 34 | Greenwich | 6.5% | London borough |
| 35 | Doncaster | 6.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 36 | Bracknell Forest | 6.7% | Unitary council |
| 37 | Westmorland and Furness | 6.7% | Unitary council |
| 38 | Waltham Forest | 6.8% | London borough |
| 39 | St. Helens | 6.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 40 | Medway | 6.8% | Unitary council |
| 41 | South Gloucestershire | 6.8% | Unitary council |
| 42 | Wirral | 7.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 43 | Darlington | 7.2% | Unitary council |
| 44 | Milton Keynes | 7.5% | Unitary council |
| 45 | Redbridge | 7.6% | London borough |
| 46 | Wakefield | 7.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 47 | Knowsley | 8.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 48 | Herefordshire, County of | 8.1% | Unitary council |
| 49 | Southampton | 8.2% | Unitary council |
| 50 | Wiltshire | 8.2% | Unitary council |
| 51 | North Lincolnshire | 8.3% | Unitary council |
| 52 | Trafford | 8.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 53 | Kingston upon Thames | 8.4% | London borough |
| 54 | Wokingham | 8.4% | Unitary council |
| 55 | West Northamptonshire | 8.5% | Unitary council |
| 56 | Rochdale | 8.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 57 | Middlesbrough | 8.6% | Unitary council |
| 58 | Somerset | 8.6% | Unitary council |
| 59 | Bradford | 8.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 60 | Southend-on-Sea | 9.0% | Unitary council |
| 61 | Liverpool | 9.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 62 | Swindon | 9.5% | Unitary council |
| 63 | Hounslow | 9.7% | London borough |
| 64 | North East Lincolnshire | 9.7% | Unitary council |
| 65 | Walsall | 9.7% | Metropolitan borough |
| 66 | Brighton and Hove | 10.0% | Unitary council |
| 67 | Redcar and Cleveland | 10.2% | Unitary council |
| 68 | Rotherham | 10.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 69 | Halton | 10.4% | Unitary council |
| 70 | Kirklees | 10.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 71 | Cheshire East | 10.5% | Unitary council |
| 72 | Solihull | 10.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 73 | Reading | 10.7% | Unitary council |
| 74 | Haringey | 10.7% | London borough |
| 75 | Cheshire West and Chester | 10.8% | Unitary council |
| 76 | Harrow | 11.1% | London borough |
| 77 | Kensington and Chelsea | 11.4% | London borough |
| 78 | Coventry | 11.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 79 | Cornwall | 11.9% | Unitary council |
| 80 | Shropshire | 12.1% | Unitary council |
| 81 | Blackburn with Darwen | 12.2% | Unitary council |
| 82 | Luton | 12.2% | Unitary council |
| 83 | Hillingdon | 12.2% | London borough |
| 84 | Northumberland | 12.4% | Unitary council |
| 85 | West Berkshire | 12.5% | Unitary council |
| 86 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 12.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 87 | Telford and Wrekin | 12.8% | Unitary council |
| 88 | Bath and North East Somerset | 12.8% | Unitary council |
| 89 | Derby | 12.9% | Unitary council |
| 90 | North Tyneside | 13.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 91 | Ealing | 13.1% | London borough |
| 92 | Central Bedfordshire | 13.2% | Unitary council |
| 93 | Kingston upon Hull, City of | 13.4% | Unitary council |
| 94 | Stockport | 13.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 95 | Westminster | 13.5% | London borough |
| 96 | Barnet | 14.0% | London borough |
| 97 | York | 14.1% | Unitary council |
| 98 | Bristol, City of | 14.3% | Unitary council |
| 99 | Wolverhampton | 14.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 100 | Torbay | 15.0% | Unitary council |
| 101 | Salford | 15.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 102 | Slough | 15.1% | Unitary council |
| 103 | Stoke-on-Trent | 15.3% | Unitary council |
| 104 | Southwark | 15.4% | London borough |
| 105 | Lewisham | 15.4% | London borough |
| 106 | Isle of Wight | 15.8% | Unitary council |
| 107 | Gateshead | 15.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 108 | Manchester | 16.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 109 | Enfield | 16.0% | London borough |
| 110 | Portsmouth | 16.4% | Unitary council |
| 111 | Sunderland | 16.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 112 | South Tyneside | 17.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 113 | Lambeth | 17.3% | London borough |
| 114 | Brent | 17.4% | London borough |
| 115 | Barnsley | 17.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 116 | Leeds | 18.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 117 | Newham | 19.1% | London borough |
| 118 | Croydon | 19.2% | London borough |
| 119 | Nottingham | 19.5% | Unitary council |
| 120 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 20.6% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Blackpool | 22.6% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Peterborough | 22.7% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Plymouth | 23.0% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Birmingham | 23.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| =121 | Barking and Dagenham | 26.0% | London borough |
| =121 | Warrington | 29.4% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Thurrock | 44.5% | Unitary council |
Period: 2025-26. Source: Calculated from MHCLG Revenue Outturn and Capital Outturn Return, ONS population, MHCLG dwelling stock and planning statistics. Councils with the same figure share a rank, and so do those beyond the 5th and 95th percentiles, because extreme values are capped before scoring (why). How we score
No figure
- Cumberland: Revenue Outturn return not received in time for publication
- Dudley: Revenue Outturn return not received in time for publication
- Sandwell: Revenue Outturn return not received in time for publication
Shown but not ranked
- City of London: 0.0%
- Isles of Scilly: Revenue Outturn return not received in time for publication