Public money · peer comparison

Planning and economic: every shire district ranked by spend per resident

158 councils · median £23.62/person · mean £23.80/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.

Rank	Council	Control	Population	Total spend	Per resident	vs median
1	Newcastle-under-Lyme	Ref	127,727	£10.7m	£83.63	+254%
2	Mid Suffolk	Green	110,775	£8.0m	£71.90	+204%
3	Babergh	Green	97,033	£5.9m	£61.13	+159%
4	Bassetlaw	Lab	124,937	£7.5m	£60.11	+154%
5	West Lancashire	Ref	121,995	£7.0m	£57.17	+142%
6	East Suffolk	Green	249,664	£14.1m	£56.52	+139%
7	Colchester	Ref	200,222	£10.4m	£51.86	+120%
8	Preston	LD	162,864	£8.2m	£50.11	+112%
9	Worcester	Lab	106,671	£5.3m	£49.65	+110%
10	Test Valley	Con	135,201	£6.3m	£46.62	+97%
11	Spelthorne	LD	107,074	£5.0m	£46.56	+97%
12	Sevenoaks	Con	122,748	£5.6m	£46.00	+95%
13	East Hampshire	Con	129,975	£5.9m	£45.09	+91%
14	Thanet	Lab	142,691	£6.4m	£44.85	+90%
15	East Cambridgeshire	Con	92,906	£4.2m	£44.81	+90%
16	Waverley	LD	134,284	£5.9m	£43.95	+86%
17	Derbyshire Dales	LD	71,757	£3.1m	£42.90	+82%
18	Lancaster	Lab	145,006	£6.1m	£41.76	+77%
19	Stratford-on-Avon	LD	146,258	£5.7m	£39.16	+66%
20	Dover	Lab	119,768	£4.6m	£38.52	+63%
21	Cotswold	LD	91,661	£3.5m	£38.49	+63%
22	West Lindsey	LD	99,208	£3.8m	£38.14	+61%
23	Cherwell	LD	170,426	£6.5m	£37.92	+61%
24	Swale	Lab	158,379	£6.0m	£37.75	+60%
25	Forest of Dean	Green	89,753	£3.4m	£37.47	+59%
26	Horsham	LD	151,521	£5.6m	£37.26	+58%
27	South Cambridgeshire	LD	172,544	£6.3m	£36.75	+56%
28	West Devon	Con	58,923	£2.1m	£36.18	+53%
29	Tunbridge Wells	LD	119,694	£4.3m	£36.14	+53%
30	Newark and Sherwood	Con	127,886	£4.6m	£35.81	+52%
31	Cambridge	Green	149,352	£5.3m	£35.76	+51%
32	Epping Forest	Ref	137,451	£4.9m	£35.51	+50%
33	North Norfolk	LD	103,217	£3.6m	£34.98	+48%
34	Tamworth	Ref	81,117	£2.8m	£34.56	+46%
35	Stafford	Con	141,556	£4.8m	£34.18	+45%
36	Tandridge	LD	90,586	£3.1m	£34.13	+44%
37	Burnley	Ref	99,233	£3.4m	£33.91	+44%
38	East Hertfordshire	Green	156,875	£5.2m	£33.40	+41%
39	Folkestone and Hythe	Lab	112,411	£3.8m	£33.38	+41%
40	East Lindsey	Con	145,183	£4.8m	£33.21	+41%
41	Bolsover	Lab	83,773	£2.8m	£32.86	+39%
42	South Ribble	Lab	116,113	£3.8m	£32.78	+39%
43	Adur	Ref	64,889	£2.1m	£32.64	+38%
44	Rushmoor	Ref	105,751	£3.4m	£32.49	+38%
45	Dartford	Con	125,011	£4.1m	£32.45	+37%
46	East Devon	Ind	158,239	£5.1m	£32.26	+37%
47	Cannock Chase	Ref	104,088	£3.3m	£32.09	+36%
48	Basingstoke and Deane	BAS	193,110	£6.2m	£32.06	+36%
49	Lincoln	Ref	105,114	£3.3m	£31.39	+33%
50	Melton	Con	54,052	£1.7m	£31.38	+33%
51	Hyndburn	Ref	86,058	£2.7m	£31.20	+32%
52	Stroud	Green	125,680	£3.8m	£30.09	+27%
53	Tendring	Con	156,759	£4.7m	£29.85	+26%
54	Mid Devon	LD	84,993	£2.5m	£29.80	+26%
55	Wychavon	Con	138,017	£4.1m	£29.64	+25%
56	Havant	Ref	126,985	£3.7m	£29.38	+24%
57	Dacorum	LD	161,420	£4.7m	£29.19	+24%
58	Pendle	Ind	99,777	£2.9m	£28.91	+22%
59	Tonbridge and Malling	Con	136,853	£4.0m	£28.88	+22%
60	Surrey Heath	LD	94,492	£2.7m	£28.67	+21%
61	South Hams	LD	92,148	£2.6m	£28.62	+21%
62	St Albans	LD	151,012	£4.2m	£28.09	+19%
63	Torridge	Ind	69,841	£2.0m	£28.08	+19%
64	Blaby	Con	108,165	£3.0m	£28.04	+19%
65	Wyre	Con	118,743	£3.3m	£27.93	+18%
66	Gosport	Ref	82,921	£2.3m	£27.65	+17%
67	Fareham	Con	115,428	£3.1m	£26.99	+14%
68	Broxbourne	Con	101,900	£2.7m	£26.98	+14%
69	Uttlesford	RES	95,106	£2.5m	£26.66	+13%
70	Maldon	Con	69,131	£1.8m	£26.57	+12%
71	Norwich	Green	147,182	£3.8m	£26.05	+10%
72	Chichester	LD	128,934	£3.3m	£25.94	+10%
73	Rushcliffe	Con	126,736	£3.3m	£25.78	+9%
74	Broxtowe	Lab	114,565	£2.9m	£25.67	+9%
75	Ashford	Con	140,936	£3.5m	£25.10	+6%
76	Winchester	LD	135,632	£3.4m	£24.96	+6%
77	Mid Sussex	LD	161,755	£4.0m	£24.62	+4%
78	Canterbury	Lab	162,100	£3.9m	£24.31	+3%
79	Three Rivers	Con	95,807	£2.3m	£23.79	+1%
80	Wealden	LD	166,908	£3.9m	£23.45	-1%
81	Breckland	Con	146,620	£3.4m	£23.42	-1%
82	Epsom and Ewell	RES	83,288	£1.9m	£23.39	-1%
83	Stevenage	Ref	91,774	£2.1m	£23.28	-1%
84	Hinckley and Bosworth	LD	116,682	£2.7m	£22.96	-3%
85	East Staffordshire	Lab	129,659	£3.0m	£22.89	-3%
86	Runnymede	Lab	92,118	£2.1m	£22.60	-4%
87	Elmbridge	LD	141,926	£3.1m	£22.10	-6%
88	Malvern Hills	Ind	83,227	£1.8m	£21.86	-7%
89	Gedling	Lab	120,179	£2.5m	£21.18	-10%
90	Lewes	Green	102,363	£2.2m	£21.11	-11%
91	South Derbyshire	Lab	117,493	£2.4m	£20.60	-13%
92	Woking	LD	105,679	£2.2m	£20.58	-13%
93	Rochford	Ref	89,815	£1.8m	£20.50	-13%
94	Harborough	Con	104,713	£2.1m	£20.24	-14%
95	Vale of White Horse	LD	149,347	£3.0m	£20.09	-15%
96	North East Derbyshire	Lab	106,646	£2.1m	£19.65	-17%
97	Chelmsford	LD	188,803	£3.7m	£19.35	-18%
98	Basildon	Ref	193,632	£3.6m	£18.84	-20%
99	Braintree	Con	164,304	£3.1m	£18.79	-20%
100	Arun	Con	170,064	£3.2m	£18.65	-21%
101	High Peak	Lab	91,959	£1.7m	£18.58	-21%
102	North Kesteven	Con	122,468	£2.3m	£18.41	-22%
103	Crawley	Ref	124,008	£2.3m	£18.19	-23%
104	Great Yarmouth	Con	100,529	£1.8m	£18.12	-23%
105	New Forest	Con	176,116	£3.2m	£17.91	-24%
106	Oadby and Wigston	LD	61,695	£1.1m	£17.62	-25%
107	South Oxfordshire	LD	156,470	£2.7m	£17.38	-26%
108	Rugby	LD	122,378	£2.1m	£17.37	-26%
109	Hart	LD	103,162	£1.8m	£17.13	-27%
110	Maidstone	Con	187,767	£3.2m	£17.04	-28%
111	Charnwood	Con	188,385	£3.2m	£16.76	-29%
112	Fylde	Con	85,447	£1.4m	£16.76	-29%
113	Erewash	Lab	114,253	£1.9m	£16.33	-31%
114	Redditch	Ref	87,847	£1.4m	£16.24	-31%
115	North Hertfordshire	Con	137,201	£2.2m	£16.24	-31%
116	Reigate and Banstead	Green	159,134	£2.6m	£16.20	-31%
117	Ipswich	Ref	140,274	£2.2m	£15.79	-33%
118	Lichfield	Con	111,932	£1.8m	£15.69	-34%
119	Fenland	Con	104,896	£1.6m	£15.34	-35%
120	Teignbridge	LD	138,548	£2.1m	£15.34	-35%
121	West Suffolk	Con	188,485	£2.8m	£14.72	-38%
122	Castle Point	THE	90,581	£1.3m	£14.36	-39%
123	Ribble Valley	Con	65,794	£0.9m	£13.75	-42%
124	Tewkesbury	LD	101,949	£1.4m	£13.57	-43%
125	North Devon	LD	101,222	£1.4m	£13.48	-43%
126	West Oxfordshire	LD	120,941	£1.6m	£13.30	-44%
127	Worthing	Green	113,866	£1.5m	£12.91	-45%
128	Staffordshire Moorlands	Lab	96,651	£1.2m	£12.72	-46%
129	Huntingdonshire	LD	190,619	£2.4m	£12.42	-47%
130	Gravesham	Lab	110,671	£1.4m	£12.41	-47%
131	Brentwood	Ref	79,326	£0.9m	£11.88	-50%
132	Broadland	Con	138,157	£1.6m	£11.85	-50%
133	Bromsgrove	Con	101,685	£1.2m	£11.67	-51%
134	Watford	LD	107,171	£1.2m	£11.23	-52%
135	South Norfolk	Con	148,448	£1.6m	£11.00	-53%
136	Eastleigh	LD	142,933	£1.6m	£10.98	-54%
137	Eastbourne	LD	104,259	£1.1m	£10.73	-55%
138	South Kesteven	Con	147,151	£1.6m	£10.66	-55%
139	Wyre Forest	Con	103,913	£1.0m	£9.49	-60%
140	Cheltenham	LD	121,739	£1.0m	£7.87	-67%
141	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	Con	156,206	£1.2m	£7.45	-68%
142	Rossendale	Lab	73,045	£0.5m	£7.02	-70%
143	Boston	BOS	71,080	£0.5m	£6.77	-71%
144	Rother	Con	96,133	£0.6m	£6.60	-72%
145	Chorley	Ref	120,839	£0.6m	£4.66	-80%
146	Chesterfield	Lab	106,045	£0.3m	£2.68	-89%
147	South Staffordshire	Con	114,423	£-0.0m	£-0.39	-102%
148	Nuneaton and Bedworth	Ref	141,565	£-0.1m	£-0.98	-104%
149	Welwyn Hatfield	LD	122,819	£-0.2m	£-1.24	-105%
150	Mole Valley	LD	88,709	£-0.2m	£-1.83	-108%
151	Mansfield	Lab	113,138	£-0.9m	£-7.73	-133%
152	Oxford	Green	166,034	£-1.9m	£-11.43	-148%
153	South Holland	Con	99,298	£-1.4m	£-14.52	-161%
154	Harlow	Con	98,235	£-1.5m	£-14.91	-163%
155	Hertsmere	Con	110,212	£-2.6m	£-23.26	-198%
156	Gloucester	LD	138,598	£-3.3m	£-23.64	-200%
157	Exeter	Green	138,399	£-3.7m	£-26.96	-214%
158	Hastings	Green	91,219	£-2.8m	£-30.19	-228%

What this shows. Net revenue expenditure on the planning and economic 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.