Rankings · Methodology · Financial health · Debt
Borrowing need (excluding council housing) 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 184.6%.
Capital financing requirement at 31 March (what the council has borrowed or committed to repay for capital spending, incl. PFI and leases) less the part used for council housing / net revenue expenditure. Capital data is a year older than spending data.
| Rank | Council | Borrowing need (excluding council housing) as a share of net revenue expenditure | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Wandsworth | 16.3% | London borough |
| =1 | Bromley | 32.3% | London borough |
| =1 | Rutland | 41.6% | Unitary council |
| =1 | Camden | 50.2% | London borough |
| =1 | Merton | 61.6% | London borough |
| =1 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 65.0% | Unitary council |
| =1 | Sefton | 70.7% | Metropolitan borough |
| 8 | North Somerset | 84.1% | Unitary council |
| 9 | Bolton | 88.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 10 | Westmorland and Furness | 90.5% | Unitary council |
| 11 | Hartlepool | 91.6% | Unitary council |
| 12 | Richmond upon Thames | 93.1% | London borough |
| 13 | Bedford | 94.0% | Unitary council |
| 14 | Wigan | 95.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 15 | Stockton-on-Tees | 98.4% | Unitary council |
| 16 | Leicester | 98.5% | Unitary council |
| 17 | Dorset | 99.3% | Unitary council |
| 18 | North Yorkshire | 99.9% | Unitary council |
| 19 | Brighton and Hove | 104.4% | Unitary council |
| 20 | Tower Hamlets | 111.1% | London borough |
| 21 | Tameside | 111.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 22 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 111.3% | Unitary council |
| 23 | St. Helens | 111.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 24 | Calderdale | 113.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 25 | Islington | 114.9% | London borough |
| 26 | Knowsley | 120.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 27 | Buckinghamshire | 124.1% | Unitary council |
| 28 | Waltham Forest | 125.9% | London borough |
| 29 | Bury | 126.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 30 | South Gloucestershire | 127.6% | Unitary council |
| 31 | Sutton | 132.1% | London borough |
| 32 | County Durham | 132.6% | Unitary council |
| 33 | Cheshire East | 134.2% | Unitary council |
| 34 | Havering | 136.1% | London borough |
| 35 | Walsall | 139.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 36 | Hounslow | 140.3% | London borough |
| 37 | Wiltshire | 141.5% | Unitary council |
| 38 | Cheshire West and Chester | 142.5% | Unitary council |
| 39 | Bexley | 142.7% | London borough |
| 40 | North Lincolnshire | 144.8% | Unitary council |
| 41 | North Northamptonshire | 145.4% | Unitary council |
| 42 | Doncaster | 146.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 43 | North East Lincolnshire | 148.6% | Unitary council |
| 44 | Hackney | 150.5% | London borough |
| 45 | Wirral | 151.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 46 | Bristol, City of | 152.7% | Unitary council |
| 47 | Herefordshire, County of | 153.3% | Unitary council |
| 48 | Darlington | 159.1% | Unitary council |
| 49 | Lewisham | 160.3% | London borough |
| 50 | Solihull | 162.7% | Metropolitan borough |
| 51 | Somerset | 165.5% | Unitary council |
| 52 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 165.8% | London borough |
| 53 | Milton Keynes | 166.7% | Unitary council |
| 54 | Wakefield | 170.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 55 | Hillingdon | 172.3% | London borough |
| 56 | Coventry | 173.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 57 | Shropshire | 173.9% | Unitary council |
| 58 | Liverpool | 176.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 59 | North Tyneside | 177.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 60 | Kingston upon Thames | 177.8% | London borough |
| 61 | Bradford | 179.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 62 | Harrow | 179.9% | London borough |
| 63 | Cornwall | 182.5% | Unitary council |
| 64 | Southend-on-Sea | 184.6% | Unitary council |
| 65 | Redcar and Cleveland | 186.7% | Unitary council |
| 66 | Kirklees | 189.4% | Metropolitan borough |
| 67 | Rochdale | 192.8% | Metropolitan borough |
| 68 | Medway | 196.5% | Unitary council |
| 69 | Redbridge | 196.7% | London borough |
| 70 | West Berkshire | 196.9% | Unitary council |
| 71 | Bracknell Forest | 197.9% | Unitary council |
| 72 | Blackburn with Darwen | 197.9% | Unitary council |
| 73 | Middlesbrough | 201.5% | Unitary council |
| 74 | Trafford | 201.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 75 | Southampton | 202.7% | Unitary council |
| 76 | Bath and North East Somerset | 205.6% | Unitary council |
| 77 | Wokingham | 212.5% | Unitary council |
| 78 | Isle of Wight | 212.6% | Unitary council |
| 79 | Sheffield | 214.5% | Metropolitan borough |
| 80 | Reading | 215.7% | Unitary council |
| 81 | Kensington and Chelsea | 216.7% | London borough |
| 82 | West Northamptonshire | 219.2% | Unitary council |
| 83 | Greenwich | 221.1% | London borough |
| 84 | Gateshead | 221.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 85 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 223.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 86 | Oldham | 225.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 87 | Lambeth | 228.2% | London borough |
| 88 | Stockport | 228.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 89 | York | 230.8% | Unitary council |
| 90 | Barnet | 231.0% | London borough |
| 91 | Swindon | 231.3% | Unitary council |
| 92 | Ealing | 238.2% | London borough |
| 93 | Salford | 241.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 94 | Wolverhampton | 248.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 95 | Manchester | 251.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 96 | Rotherham | 255.6% | Metropolitan borough |
| 97 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 262.5% | Unitary council |
| 98 | Northumberland | 263.1% | Unitary council |
| 99 | Stoke-on-Trent | 272.9% | Unitary council |
| 100 | Sunderland | 274.3% | Metropolitan borough |
| 101 | Central Bedfordshire | 282.1% | Unitary council |
| 102 | Derby | 299.7% | Unitary council |
| 103 | Kingston upon Hull, City of | 302.1% | Unitary council |
| 104 | Haringey | 302.8% | London borough |
| 105 | Brent | 311.5% | London borough |
| 106 | Birmingham | 320.9% | Metropolitan borough |
| 107 | Telford and Wrekin | 326.1% | Unitary council |
| 108 | Peterborough | 330.9% | Unitary council |
| 109 | Barnsley | 334.2% | Metropolitan borough |
| 110 | Torbay | 341.1% | Unitary council |
| 111 | Slough | 344.7% | Unitary council |
| 112 | Croydon | 345.4% | London borough |
| 113 | Nottingham | 346.7% | Unitary council |
| 114 | Westminster | 350.1% | London borough |
| 115 | Portsmouth | 361.6% | Unitary council |
| 116 | Leeds | 366.0% | Metropolitan borough |
| 117 | Enfield | 374.1% | London borough |
| 118 | Blackpool | 392.8% | Unitary council |
| 119 | South Tyneside | 400.1% | Metropolitan borough |
| 120 | Plymouth | 422.3% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Luton | 435.2% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Halton | 440.4% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Southwark | 448.9% | London borough |
| =121 | Thurrock | 490.5% | Unitary council |
| =121 | Newham | 524.8% | London borough |
| =121 | Barking and Dagenham | 822.2% | London borough |
| =121 | Warrington | 1146.0% | Unitary council |
Period: 2024-25 borrowing, 2025-26 spend. 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: 110.3%
- Isles of Scilly: Revenue Outturn return not received in time for publication