Children’s services: every county council ranked by spend per resident
21 councils · median £225.10/person · mean £221.34/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.
| Rank | Council | Control | Seats | Population | Total spend | Per resident | vs median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Sussex | — | — | 560,882 | £156.2m | £278.50 | +24% |
| 2 | Gloucestershire | — | — | 669,380 | £176.4m | £263.52 | +17% |
| 3 | Nottinghamshire | — | — | 857,013 | £214.7m | £250.47 | +11% |
| 4 | Devon | — | — | 842,313 | £209.9m | £249.20 | +11% |
| 5 | Staffordshire | — | — | 907,153 | £222.1m | £244.78 | +9% |
| 6 | West Sussex | — | — | 915,037 | £219.5m | £239.90 | +7% |
| 7 | Derbyshire | — | — | 822,377 | £196.8m | £239.26 | +6% |
| 8 | Norfolk | — | — | 940,359 | £223.6m | £237.78 | +6% |
| 9 | Warwickshire | — | — | 632,207 | £150.2m | £237.50 | +6% |
| 10 | Worcestershire | — | — | 621,360 | £142.7m | £229.71 | +2% |
| 11 | Lancashire | — | — | 1,294,914 | £291.5m | £225.10 | 0% |
| 12 | Hampshire | — | — | 1,447,214 | £314.6m | £217.35 | -3% |
| 13 | Oxfordshire | — | — | 763,218 | £165.7m | £217.05 | -4% |
| 14 | Kent | — | — | 1,639,029 | £355.5m | £216.88 | -4% |
| 15 | Surrey | — | — | 1,248,649 | £252.3m | £202.03 | -10% |
| 16 | Hertfordshire | — | — | 1,236,191 | £246.9m | £199.71 | -11% |
| 17 | Leicestershire | — | — | 745,573 | £140.1m | £187.96 | -16% |
| 18 | Lincolnshire | — | — | 789,502 | £147.1m | £186.29 | -17% |
| 19 | Suffolk | — | — | 786,231 | £145.8m | £185.50 | -18% |
| 20 | Cambridgeshire | — | — | 710,317 | £122.2m | £172.00 | -24% |
| 21 | Essex | — | — | 1,563,365 | £261.9m | £167.55 | -26% |
What this shows. Net revenue expenditure on the children’s services bucket from each council’s 2024-25 Revenue Outturn (RO) submission to MHCLG, divided by ONS mid-year population. Higher per-head doesn’t imply waste — it can reflect demographic need (e.g. more older residents), rurality, or policy choice (e.g. retaining in-house services rather than contracting out). Lower per-head doesn’t imply efficiency — some councils have moved costs to fees, grants, or a ringfenced account.
Caveats. Councils under MHCLG suppression for 2024-25 don’t appear here (Birmingham, Slough, Cumberland and others — see their council card for the reason). Comparisons across the tier line don’t make sense, which is why this table is filtered to one council type at a time. Source: MHCLG Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing.