Culture and leisure: every London borough ranked by spend per resident
33 councils · median £38.43/person · mean £150.27/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.
| Rank | Council | Control | Seats | Population | Total spend | Per resident | vs median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of London | Ind | 15,111 | £53.7m | £3551.26 | +9141% | |
| 2 | Greenwich | Lab | 299,528 | £31.4m | £104.91 | +173% | |
| 3 | Kensington and Chelsea | Con | 144,518 | £14.6m | £100.86 | +162% | |
| 4 | Southwark | Green | 314,786 | £24.4m | £77.37 | +101% | |
| 5 | Richmond upon Thames | LD | 196,678 | £14.7m | £74.64 | +94% | |
| 6 | Hackney | Green | 266,758 | £17.0m | £63.72 | +66% | |
| 7 | Westminster | Con | 209,996 | £13.3m | £63.26 | +65% | |
| 8 | Camden | Lab | 216,943 | £12.4m | £57.31 | +49% | |
| 9 | Kingston upon Thames | LD | 172,692 | £9.9m | £57.17 | +49% | |
| 10 | Hounslow | Lab | 299,424 | £15.0m | £50.08 | +30% | |
| 11 | Tower Hamlets | ASP | 331,886 | £16.5m | £49.65 | +29% | |
| 12 | Bromley | Con | 335,319 | £16.4m | £48.81 | +27% | |
| 13 | Islington | Lab | 223,024 | £10.3m | £46.30 | +20% | |
| 14 | Haringey | Green | 263,850 | £11.8m | £44.56 | +16% | |
| 15 | Hillingdon | Con | 329,185 | £14.0m | £42.41 | +10% | |
| 16 | Newham | NEW | 374,523 | £15.1m | £40.31 | +5% | |
| 17 | Lewisham | Green | 301,255 | £11.6m | £38.43 | 0% | |
| 18 | Lambeth | Green | 316,920 | £12.0m | £37.84 | -2% | |
| 19 | Redbridge | Lab | 321,231 | £12.1m | £37.60 | -2% | |
| 20 | Enfield | Con | 327,434 | £12.3m | £37.52 | -2% | |
| 21 | Bexley | Con | 256,434 | £9.6m | £37.31 | -3% | |
| 22 | Merton | Lab | 218,539 | £7.7m | £35.20 | -8% | |
| 23 | Waltham Forest | Green | 279,737 | £9.2m | £32.83 | -15% | |
| 24 | Wandsworth | Con | 337,655 | £11.0m | £32.50 | -15% | |
| 25 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Lab | 188,687 | £6.0m | £31.62 | -18% | |
| 26 | Brent | Lab | 352,976 | £10.4m | £29.48 | -23% | |
| 27 | Sutton | LD | 214,525 | £5.1m | £23.86 | -38% | |
| 28 | Croydon | Con | 409,342 | £9.5m | £23.18 | -40% | |
| 29 | Harrow | Con | 270,724 | £6.2m | £22.79 | -41% | |
| 30 | Barnet | Lab | 405,050 | £9.1m | £22.52 | -41% | |
| 31 | Barking and Dagenham | Lab | 232,747 | £4.4m | £18.76 | -51% | |
| 32 | Ealing | Lab | 385,985 | £6.7m | £17.37 | -55% | |
| 33 | Havering | Ref | 276,274 | £2.1m | £7.48 | -81% |
What this shows. Net revenue expenditure on the culture and leisure 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.