Children’s services: every metropolitan borough ranked by spend per resident
35 councils · median £315.05/person · mean £318.49/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.
| Rank | Council | Control | Seats | Population | Total spend | Per resident | vs median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradford | Ref | — | 563,605 | £255.2m | £452.81 | +44% |
| 2 | Tameside | Ref | 239,643 | £108.1m | £451.24 | +43% | |
| 3 | St. Helens | Ref | 188,861 | £73.2m | £387.69 | +23% | |
| 4 | Liverpool | Lab | 508,961 | £196.3m | £385.74 | +22% | |
| 5 | Sefton | Lab | — | 286,281 | £106.8m | £373.04 | +18% |
| 6 | Knowsley | Ind | 162,565 | £60.5m | £371.99 | +18% | |
| 7 | South Tyneside | Ref | — | 151,393 | £56.3m | £371.71 | +18% |
| 8 | Solihull | Con | — | 221,242 | £76.4m | £345.19 | +10% |
| 9 | Oldham | Ref | 251,560 | £86.2m | £342.51 | +9% | |
| 10 | Manchester | Green | 589,670 | £201.1m | £340.97 | +8% | |
| 11 | Gateshead | Ref | — | 202,760 | £69.1m | £340.60 | +8% |
| 12 | Walsall | Ref | — | 295,678 | £100.7m | £340.58 | +8% |
| 13 | Coventry | Ref | — | 369,026 | £122.7m | £332.59 | +6% |
| 14 | Rotherham | Lab | 276,595 | £90.5m | £327.31 | +4% | |
| 15 | Barnsley | Ref | 251,770 | £82.2m | £326.38 | +4% | |
| 16 | Wirral | Lab | 328,873 | £105.9m | £321.95 | +2% | |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | Ref | 281,251 | £88.7m | £315.47 | +0% | |
| 18 | Calderdale | Ref | — | 210,929 | £66.5m | £315.05 | 0% |
| 19 | Rochdale | Ref | 235,561 | £73.1m | £310.20 | -2% | |
| 20 | Sunderland | Ref | — | 288,606 | £89.3m | £309.54 | -2% |
| 21 | Doncaster | Ref | 319,765 | £98.5m | £307.90 | -2% | |
| 22 | Leeds | Ref | 845,189 | £256.7m | £303.67 | -4% | |
| 23 | Sandwell | Ref | — | 353,860 | £107.3m | £303.33 | -4% |
| 24 | Bolton | Ref | 310,085 | £92.5m | £298.31 | -5% | |
| 25 | North Tyneside | Ref | 215,025 | £62.5m | £290.43 | -8% | |
| 26 | Bury | Lab | 198,921 | £57.2m | £287.69 | -9% | |
| 27 | Wigan | Ref | 344,922 | £97.4m | £282.30 | -10% | |
| 28 | Newcastle upon Tyne | LD | — | 320,605 | £86.9m | £271.07 | -14% |
| 29 | Sheffield | Ref | 582,493 | £156.7m | £269.05 | -15% | |
| 30 | Wakefield | Ref | — | 367,666 | £97.5m | £265.12 | -16% |
| 31 | Dudley | Ref | 331,930 | £85.2m | £256.66 | -19% | |
| 32 | Salford | Ref | 294,348 | £74.3m | £252.54 | -20% | |
| 33 | Stockport | LD | 303,929 | £75.3m | £247.86 | -21% | |
| 34 | Trafford | Lab | 241,025 | £55.9m | £232.00 | -26% | |
| 35 | Kirklees | Ref | — | 447,847 | £97.0m | £216.61 | -31% |
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.