Public money · peer comparison

Highways and transport: every shire district ranked by spend per resident

158 councils · median £-4.02/person · mean £-7.19/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.

Rank	Council	Control	Population	Total spend	Per resident	vs median
1	Broxbourne	Con	101,900	£2.4m	£23.94	0%
2	Harlow	Con	98,235	£1.0m	£10.60	0%
3	Castle Point	THE	90,581	£0.7m	£7.72	0%
4	Fenland	Con	104,896	£0.7m	£6.78	0%
5	Colchester	Ref	200,222	£1.3m	£6.62	0%
6	Watford	LD	107,171	£0.7m	£6.43	0%
7	Breckland	Con	146,620	£0.9m	£6.17	0%
8	Redditch	Ref	87,847	£0.5m	£5.90	0%
9	Pendle	Ind	99,777	£0.5m	£5.14	0%
10	Three Rivers	Con	95,807	£0.4m	£4.15	0%
11	Hyndburn	Ref	86,058	£0.3m	£4.04	0%
12	Bolsover	Lab	83,773	£0.3m	£3.93	0%
13	Wyre	Con	118,743	£0.4m	£3.75	0%
14	North Hertfordshire	Con	137,201	£0.5m	£3.29	0%
15	Rossendale	Lab	73,045	£0.2m	£3.19	0%
16	Wealden	LD	166,908	£0.5m	£3.14	0%
17	Mansfield	Lab	113,138	£0.3m	£2.70	0%
18	Babergh	Green	97,033	£0.3m	£2.59	0%
19	Hinckley and Bosworth	LD	116,682	£0.3m	£2.52	0%
20	West Lindsey	LD	99,208	£0.2m	£2.13	0%
21	South Kesteven	Con	147,151	£0.3m	£2.11	0%
22	East Cambridgeshire	Con	92,906	£0.2m	£2.10	0%
23	West Oxfordshire	LD	120,941	£0.2m	£2.03	0%
24	Gedling	Lab	120,179	£0.2m	£1.81	0%
25	Preston	LD	162,864	£0.3m	£1.78	0%
26	North Kesteven	Con	122,468	£0.2m	£1.63	0%
27	Great Yarmouth	Con	100,529	£0.2m	£1.61	0%
28	Bromsgrove	Con	101,685	£0.2m	£1.56	0%
29	Wyre Forest	Con	103,913	£0.1m	£1.44	0%
30	Crawley	Ref	124,008	£0.2m	£1.40	0%
31	South Staffordshire	Con	114,423	£0.2m	£1.34	0%
32	Rugby	LD	122,378	£0.2m	£1.23	0%
33	Tandridge	LD	90,586	£0.1m	£0.83	0%
34	Runnymede	Lab	92,118	£0.1m	£0.80	0%
35	Basingstoke and Deane	BAS	193,110	£0.2m	£0.78	0%
36	Broxtowe	Lab	114,565	£0.1m	£0.60	0%
37	South Ribble	Lab	116,113	£0.1m	£0.58	0%
38	South Derbyshire	Lab	117,493	£0.1m	£0.54	0%
39	Epping Forest	Ref	137,451	£0.1m	£0.52	0%
40	Charnwood	Con	188,385	£0.1m	£0.51	0%
41	Forest of Dean	Green	89,753	£0.0m	£0.47	0%
42	Broadland	Con	138,157	£0.0m	£0.28	0%
43	Cherwell	LD	170,426	£0.0m	£0.28	0%
44	Dartford	Con	125,011	£0.0m	£0.02	0%
45	South Cambridgeshire	LD	172,544	£0.0m	£0.01	0%
46	Blaby	Con	108,165	£-0.0m	£-0.17	0%
47	Chorley	Ref	120,839	£-0.1m	£-0.44	0%
48	Vale of White Horse	LD	149,347	£-0.1m	£-0.48	0%
49	Nuneaton and Bedworth	Ref	141,565	£-0.1m	£-0.73	0%
50	South Norfolk	Con	148,448	£-0.1m	£-0.94	0%
51	Hart	LD	103,162	£-0.1m	£-0.95	0%
52	Lewes	Green	102,363	£-0.1m	£-0.98	0%
53	Rushmoor	Ref	105,751	£-0.1m	£-1.06	0%
54	Mid Suffolk	Green	110,775	£-0.1m	£-1.18	0%
55	Basildon	Ref	193,632	£-0.2m	£-1.19	0%
56	Huntingdonshire	LD	190,619	£-0.3m	£-1.35	0%
57	South Holland	Con	99,298	£-0.1m	£-1.38	0%
58	North East Derbyshire	Lab	106,646	£-0.2m	£-1.55	0%
59	Tendring	Con	156,759	£-0.3m	£-1.65	0%
60	Cannock Chase	Ref	104,088	£-0.2m	£-1.70	0%
61	Test Valley	Con	135,201	£-0.2m	£-1.84	0%
62	Bassetlaw	Lab	124,937	£-0.2m	£-1.85	0%
63	Burnley	Ref	99,233	£-0.2m	£-1.98	0%
64	Newcastle-under-Lyme	Ref	127,727	£-0.3m	£-2.07	0%
65	Stroud	Green	125,680	£-0.3m	£-2.08	0%
66	Welwyn Hatfield	LD	122,819	£-0.3m	£-2.26	0%
67	Dacorum	LD	161,420	£-0.4m	£-2.38	0%
68	East Staffordshire	Lab	129,659	£-0.3m	£-2.41	0%
69	Staffordshire Moorlands	Lab	96,651	£-0.2m	£-2.43	0%
70	Eastbourne	LD	104,259	£-0.3m	£-2.74	0%
71	East Suffolk	Green	249,664	£-0.7m	£-2.87	0%
72	Malvern Hills	Ind	83,227	£-0.2m	£-2.88	0%
73	Adur	Ref	64,889	£-0.2m	£-2.99	0%
74	Spelthorne	LD	107,074	£-0.3m	£-3.11	0%
75	Braintree	Con	164,304	£-0.5m	£-3.19	0%
76	Ribble Valley	Con	65,794	£-0.2m	£-3.28	0%
77	Reigate and Banstead	Green	159,134	£-0.6m	£-3.49	0%
78	Fylde	Con	85,447	£-0.3m	£-3.89	0%
79	West Lancashire	Ref	121,995	£-0.5m	£-3.96	0%
80	Stafford	Con	141,556	£-0.6m	£-4.08	0%
81	Tewkesbury	LD	101,949	£-0.4m	£-4.26	0%
82	Erewash	Lab	114,253	£-0.5m	£-4.30	0%
83	Surrey Heath	LD	94,492	£-0.4m	£-4.40	0%
84	Harborough	Con	104,713	£-0.5m	£-4.68	0%
85	South Oxfordshire	LD	156,470	£-0.7m	£-4.75	0%
86	Melton	Con	54,052	£-0.3m	£-4.77	0%
87	Mid Devon	LD	84,993	£-0.4m	£-5.05	0%
88	Newark and Sherwood	Con	127,886	£-0.7m	£-5.26	0%
89	Eastleigh	LD	142,933	£-0.8m	£-5.36	0%
90	Gosport	Ref	82,921	£-0.5m	£-5.55	0%
91	Wychavon	Con	138,017	£-0.8m	£-5.59	0%
92	Boston	BOS	71,080	£-0.4m	£-5.94	0%
93	Rushcliffe	Con	126,736	£-0.8m	£-5.97	0%
94	Gravesham	Lab	110,671	£-0.7m	£-6.11	0%
95	Arun	Con	170,064	£-1.1m	£-6.31	0%
96	Ashford	Con	140,936	£-1.0m	£-7.02	0%
97	Maidstone	Con	187,767	£-1.3m	£-7.08	0%
98	Mid Sussex	LD	161,755	£-1.2m	£-7.27	0%
99	Tamworth	Ref	81,117	£-0.6m	£-7.36	0%
100	Hastings	Green	91,219	£-0.7m	£-7.44	0%
101	West Devon	Con	58,923	£-0.5m	£-7.82	0%
102	Fareham	Con	115,428	£-0.9m	£-8.02	0%
103	Stratford-on-Avon	LD	146,258	£-1.2m	£-8.43	0%
104	Rochford	Ref	89,815	£-0.8m	£-9.09	0%
105	Dover	Lab	119,768	£-1.1m	£-9.24	0%
106	Oadby and Wigston	LD	61,695	£-0.6m	£-9.51	0%
107	Ipswich	Ref	140,274	£-1.3m	£-9.54	0%
108	Thanet	Lab	142,691	£-1.4m	£-9.75	0%
109	Chesterfield	Lab	106,045	£-1.0m	£-9.77	0%
110	Worthing	Green	113,866	£-1.1m	£-9.77	0%
111	Hertsmere	Con	110,212	£-1.1m	£-9.81	0%
112	Lichfield	Con	111,932	£-1.1m	£-9.82	0%
113	Havant	Ref	126,985	£-1.3m	£-9.93	0%
114	Tonbridge and Malling	Con	136,853	£-1.4m	£-9.99	0%
115	Gloucester	LD	138,598	£-1.4m	£-10.06	0%
116	East Hertfordshire	Green	156,875	£-1.7m	£-10.75	0%
117	Uttlesford	RES	95,106	£-1.1m	£-11.17	0%
118	Torridge	Ind	69,841	£-0.8m	£-11.37	0%
119	Swale	Lab	158,379	£-1.8m	£-11.39	0%
120	High Peak	Lab	91,959	£-1.1m	£-11.76	0%
121	East Lindsey	Con	145,183	£-1.7m	£-11.92	0%
122	East Hampshire	Con	129,975	£-1.6m	£-12.69	0%
123	Folkestone and Hythe	Lab	112,411	£-1.4m	£-12.78	0%
124	New Forest	Con	176,116	£-2.3m	£-12.90	0%
125	Maldon	Con	69,131	£-0.9m	£-13.35	0%
126	Rother	Con	96,133	£-1.5m	£-15.94	0%
127	West Suffolk	Con	188,485	£-3.0m	£-16.00	0%
128	Lancaster	Lab	145,006	£-2.3m	£-16.19	0%
129	Elmbridge	LD	141,926	£-2.4m	£-16.79	0%
130	Winchester	LD	135,632	£-2.4m	£-17.55	0%
131	Brentwood	Ref	79,326	£-1.4m	£-17.61	0%
132	South Hams	LD	92,148	£-1.7m	£-18.34	0%
133	Mole Valley	LD	88,709	£-1.6m	£-18.45	0%
134	North Devon	LD	101,222	£-1.9m	£-18.62	0%
135	East Devon	Ind	158,239	£-3.0m	£-18.84	0%
136	Horsham	LD	151,521	£-2.9m	£-19.21	0%
137	North Norfolk	LD	103,217	£-2.1m	£-20.05	0%
138	St Albans	LD	151,012	£-3.1m	£-20.72	0%
139	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	Con	156,206	£-3.3m	£-20.90	0%
140	Woking	LD	105,679	£-2.2m	£-20.92	0%
141	Worcester	Lab	106,671	£-2.4m	£-22.57	0%
142	Sevenoaks	Con	122,748	£-2.8m	£-23.11	0%
143	Cheltenham	LD	121,739	£-2.8m	£-23.12	0%
144	Chelmsford	LD	188,803	£-4.4m	£-23.52	0%
145	Teignbridge	LD	138,548	£-3.4m	£-24.54	0%
146	Oxford	Green	166,034	£-4.3m	£-26.19	0%
147	Derbyshire Dales	LD	71,757	£-1.9m	£-26.45	0%
148	Cotswold	LD	91,661	£-2.4m	£-26.46	0%
149	Stevenage	Ref	91,774	£-2.4m	£-26.63	0%
150	Norwich	Green	147,182	£-4.1m	£-27.61	0%
151	Epsom and Ewell	RES	83,288	£-2.4m	£-29.04	0%
152	Waverley	LD	134,284	£-4.2m	£-31.57	0%
153	Tunbridge Wells	LD	119,694	£-4.4m	£-36.42	0%
154	Chichester	LD	128,934	£-5.0m	£-38.92	0%
155	Lincoln	Ref	105,114	£-4.1m	£-38.94	0%
156	Cambridge	Green	149,352	£-5.9m	£-39.18	0%
157	Exeter	Green	138,399	£-5.7m	£-41.42	0%
158	Canterbury	Lab	162,100	£-7.8m	£-48.01	0%

What this shows. Net revenue expenditure on the highways and transport 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.