Public money · peer comparison

Housing and homelessness: every shire district ranked by spend per resident

158 councils · median £21.25/person · mean £26.33/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.

Rank	Council	Control	Population	Total spend	Per resident	vs median
1	Spelthorne	LD	107,074	£17.1m	£159.24	+649%
2	Hastings	Green	91,219	£13.6m	£148.82	+600%
3	Oxford	Green	166,034	£17.2m	£103.33	+386%
4	Crawley	Ref	124,008	£9.6m	£77.07	+263%
5	Worthing	Green	113,866	£7.6m	£66.39	+212%
6	Havant	Ref	126,985	£8.4m	£65.87	+210%
7	Woking	LD	105,679	£6.9m	£65.13	+206%
8	Colchester	Ref	200,222	£12.9m	£64.21	+202%
9	Dartford	Con	125,011	£7.1m	£56.90	+168%
10	Exeter	Green	138,399	£7.5m	£54.48	+156%
11	Chelmsford	LD	188,803	£10.0m	£52.79	+148%
12	Cambridge	Green	149,352	£7.7m	£51.34	+142%
13	Epsom and Ewell	RES	83,288	£4.2m	£50.98	+140%
14	Dover	Lab	119,768	£6.0m	£50.36	+137%
15	Cherwell	LD	170,426	£8.4m	£49.10	+131%
16	Thanet	Lab	142,691	£7.0m	£48.80	+130%
17	Elmbridge	LD	141,926	£6.9m	£48.40	+128%
18	Ashford	Con	140,936	£6.7m	£47.84	+125%
19	Ipswich	Ref	140,274	£6.7m	£47.44	+123%
20	Rother	Con	96,133	£4.5m	£46.98	+121%
21	Swale	Lab	158,379	£7.1m	£45.10	+112%
22	Lincoln	Ref	105,114	£4.5m	£43.22	+103%
23	Mid Sussex	LD	161,755	£7.0m	£43.16	+103%
24	Adur	Ref	64,889	£2.8m	£42.93	+102%
25	Watford	LD	107,171	£4.0m	£37.76	+78%
26	East Suffolk	Green	249,664	£9.3m	£37.25	+75%
27	Arun	Con	170,064	£6.2m	£36.52	+72%
28	Mid Suffolk	Green	110,775	£3.9m	£35.56	+67%
29	Chichester	LD	128,934	£4.5m	£35.14	+65%
30	Tonbridge and Malling	Con	136,853	£4.7m	£34.50	+62%
31	West Devon	Con	58,923	£2.0m	£33.94	+60%
32	Babergh	Green	97,033	£3.3m	£33.62	+58%
33	Melton	Con	54,052	£1.8m	£33.54	+58%
34	Three Rivers	Con	95,807	£3.2m	£33.11	+56%
35	Newcastle-under-Lyme	Ref	127,727	£4.2m	£33.01	+55%
36	Wealden	LD	166,908	£5.5m	£32.70	+54%
37	Welwyn Hatfield	LD	122,819	£4.0m	£32.59	+53%
38	Surrey Heath	LD	94,492	£3.0m	£32.16	+51%
39	Broxbourne	Con	101,900	£3.3m	£31.89	+50%
40	Castle Point	THE	90,581	£2.9m	£31.76	+49%
41	Folkestone and Hythe	Lab	112,411	£3.6m	£31.75	+49%
42	Derbyshire Dales	LD	71,757	£2.3m	£31.45	+48%
43	East Lindsey	Con	145,183	£4.5m	£31.22	+47%
44	South Hams	LD	92,148	£2.8m	£30.65	+44%
45	Maidstone	Con	187,767	£5.7m	£30.61	+44%
46	Burnley	Ref	99,233	£3.0m	£30.33	+43%
47	Norwich	Green	147,182	£4.4m	£30.17	+42%
48	Great Yarmouth	Con	100,529	£3.0m	£30.02	+41%
49	Worcester	Lab	106,671	£3.2m	£29.85	+40%
50	Preston	LD	162,864	£4.9m	£29.79	+40%
51	Lancaster	Lab	145,006	£4.3m	£29.45	+39%
52	Harlow	Con	98,235	£2.8m	£28.80	+36%
53	Mole Valley	LD	88,709	£2.5m	£28.40	+34%
54	Gravesham	Lab	110,671	£3.1m	£27.92	+31%
55	Cannock Chase	Ref	104,088	£2.8m	£27.17	+28%
56	North Norfolk	LD	103,217	£2.7m	£26.61	+25%
57	Canterbury	Lab	162,100	£4.2m	£26.18	+23%
58	East Cambridgeshire	Con	92,906	£2.4m	£26.09	+23%
59	Fareham	Con	115,428	£3.0m	£26.01	+22%
60	Rugby	LD	122,378	£3.2m	£25.77	+21%
61	East Hertfordshire	Green	156,875	£4.0m	£25.70	+21%
62	Redditch	Ref	87,847	£2.2m	£25.44	+20%
63	Tewkesbury	LD	101,949	£2.5m	£24.92	+17%
64	Epping Forest	Ref	137,451	£3.4m	£24.75	+16%
65	Breckland	Con	146,620	£3.6m	£24.70	+16%
66	Tamworth	Ref	81,117	£2.0m	£24.46	+15%
67	Tendring	Con	156,759	£3.8m	£24.43	+15%
68	Chesterfield	Lab	106,045	£2.5m	£24.01	+13%
69	Maldon	Con	69,131	£1.7m	£23.93	+13%
70	Tunbridge Wells	LD	119,694	£2.9m	£23.88	+12%
71	Stratford-on-Avon	LD	146,258	£3.4m	£23.36	+10%
72	Basildon	Ref	193,632	£4.5m	£23.03	+8%
73	Basingstoke and Deane	BAS	193,110	£4.4m	£22.80	+7%
74	West Suffolk	Con	188,485	£4.3m	£22.58	+6%
75	Wyre Forest	Con	103,913	£2.3m	£22.08	+4%
76	Huntingdonshire	LD	190,619	£4.2m	£22.06	+4%
77	North Hertfordshire	Con	137,201	£3.0m	£21.66	+2%
78	Bassetlaw	Lab	124,937	£2.7m	£21.46	+1%
79	Mid Devon	LD	84,993	£1.8m	£21.37	+1%
80	Boston	BOS	71,080	£1.5m	£21.13	-1%
81	East Devon	Ind	158,239	£3.3m	£20.78	-2%
82	East Hampshire	Con	129,975	£2.7m	£20.71	-3%
83	Stroud	Green	125,680	£2.6m	£20.69	-3%
84	West Lindsey	LD	99,208	£2.1m	£20.67	-3%
85	Bromsgrove	Con	101,685	£2.1m	£20.65	-3%
86	Rossendale	Lab	73,045	£1.5m	£20.58	-3%
87	Winchester	LD	135,632	£2.8m	£20.52	-3%
88	Erewash	Lab	114,253	£2.3m	£20.37	-4%
89	St Albans	LD	151,012	£3.1m	£20.30	-4%
90	Hinckley and Bosworth	LD	116,682	£2.4m	£20.19	-5%
91	Torridge	Ind	69,841	£1.4m	£19.72	-7%
92	Harborough	Con	104,713	£2.0m	£19.56	-8%
93	Test Valley	Con	135,201	£2.6m	£19.33	-9%
94	Hertsmere	Con	110,212	£2.1m	£19.05	-10%
95	Rochford	Ref	89,815	£1.7m	£18.95	-11%
96	Eastbourne	LD	104,259	£2.0m	£18.86	-11%
97	Braintree	Con	164,304	£3.1m	£18.81	-11%
98	Blaby	Con	108,165	£2.0m	£18.70	-12%
99	Stafford	Con	141,556	£2.6m	£18.36	-14%
100	Wychavon	Con	138,017	£2.5m	£18.29	-14%
101	Rushmoor	Ref	105,751	£1.9m	£18.09	-15%
102	North East Derbyshire	Lab	106,646	£1.9m	£17.98	-15%
103	Hyndburn	Ref	86,058	£1.5m	£17.80	-16%
104	South Derbyshire	Lab	117,493	£2.1m	£17.71	-17%
105	Gedling	Lab	120,179	£2.1m	£17.71	-17%
106	South Cambridgeshire	LD	172,544	£3.1m	£17.69	-17%
107	New Forest	Con	176,116	£3.1m	£17.62	-17%
108	Lichfield	Con	111,932	£2.0m	£17.51	-18%
109	East Staffordshire	Lab	129,659	£2.3m	£17.43	-18%
110	Forest of Dean	Green	89,753	£1.6m	£17.33	-18%
111	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	Con	156,206	£2.7m	£17.13	-19%
112	Bolsover	Lab	83,773	£1.4m	£17.02	-20%
113	High Peak	Lab	91,959	£1.6m	£16.90	-20%
114	Runnymede	Lab	92,118	£1.6m	£16.89	-21%
115	Gosport	Ref	82,921	£1.4m	£16.85	-21%
116	Teignbridge	LD	138,548	£2.3m	£16.59	-22%
117	Gloucester	LD	138,598	£2.3m	£16.49	-22%
118	Cotswold	LD	91,661	£1.5m	£16.30	-23%
119	Newark and Sherwood	Con	127,886	£2.1m	£16.16	-24%
120	Waverley	LD	134,284	£2.1m	£15.85	-25%
121	West Lancashire	Ref	121,995	£1.8m	£15.15	-29%
122	Hart	LD	103,162	£1.6m	£15.12	-29%
123	Fenland	Con	104,896	£1.6m	£14.93	-30%
124	South Norfolk	Con	148,448	£2.2m	£14.91	-30%
125	Fylde	Con	85,447	£1.3m	£14.72	-31%
126	Lewes	Green	102,363	£1.5m	£14.25	-33%
127	Dacorum	LD	161,420	£2.3m	£14.09	-34%
128	South Staffordshire	Con	114,423	£1.5m	£13.25	-38%
129	Broadland	Con	138,157	£1.8m	£13.17	-38%
130	Horsham	LD	151,521	£2.0m	£12.91	-39%
131	Reigate and Banstead	Green	159,134	£2.0m	£12.54	-41%
132	Charnwood	Con	188,385	£2.3m	£12.29	-42%
133	Vale of White Horse	LD	149,347	£1.8m	£12.26	-42%
134	Broxtowe	Lab	114,565	£1.3m	£11.27	-47%
135	Tandridge	LD	90,586	£1.0m	£11.23	-47%
136	Rushcliffe	Con	126,736	£1.4m	£10.90	-49%
137	Staffordshire Moorlands	Lab	96,651	£1.0m	£10.48	-51%
138	South Ribble	Lab	116,113	£1.2m	£10.28	-52%
139	Wyre	Con	118,743	£1.2m	£9.81	-54%
140	Sevenoaks	Con	122,748	£1.1m	£9.24	-57%
141	South Kesteven	Con	147,151	£1.3m	£9.14	-57%
142	Pendle	Ind	99,777	£0.9m	£8.83	-58%
143	Cheltenham	LD	121,739	£1.1m	£8.72	-59%
144	South Oxfordshire	LD	156,470	£1.3m	£8.62	-59%
145	Uttlesford	RES	95,106	£0.8m	£8.53	-60%
146	Mansfield	Lab	113,138	£0.9m	£8.24	-61%
147	Chorley	Ref	120,839	£1.0m	£8.04	-62%
148	Malvern Hills	Ind	83,227	£0.6m	£6.66	-69%
149	Oadby and Wigston	LD	61,695	£0.4m	£6.05	-72%
150	Brentwood	Ref	79,326	£0.4m	£4.85	-77%
151	West Oxfordshire	LD	120,941	£0.6m	£4.56	-79%
152	North Kesteven	Con	122,468	£0.5m	£3.99	-81%
153	Ribble Valley	Con	65,794	£0.2m	£3.79	-82%
154	Nuneaton and Bedworth	Ref	141,565	£-0.1m	£-0.59	-103%
155	South Holland	Con	99,298	£-0.2m	£-2.20	-110%
156	Stevenage	Ref	91,774	£-1.0m	£-10.49	-149%
157	Eastleigh	LD	142,933	£-1.8m	£-12.64	-159%
158	North Devon	LD	101,222	£-1.6m	£-15.46	-173%

What this shows. Net revenue expenditure on the housing and homelessness 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.