Planning and economic: every metropolitan borough ranked by spend per resident
35 councils · median £32.31/person · mean £32.25/person. From MHCLG Revenue Outturn 2024-25.
| Rank | Council | Control | Seats | Population | Total spend | Per resident | vs median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | Ref | — | 202,760 | £15.7m | £77.63 | +140% |
| 2 | Walsall | Ref | — | 295,678 | £22.3m | £75.41 | +133% |
| 3 | Knowsley | Ind | 162,565 | £9.6m | £58.79 | +82% | |
| 4 | South Tyneside | Ref | — | 151,393 | £7.4m | £49.11 | +52% |
| 5 | Sheffield | Ref | 582,493 | £28.6m | £49.02 | +52% | |
| 6 | Manchester | Green | 589,670 | £27.5m | £46.68 | +44% | |
| 7 | Rochdale | Ref | 235,561 | £10.9m | £46.30 | +43% | |
| 8 | Sunderland | Ref | — | 288,606 | £11.8m | £40.80 | +26% |
| 9 | Salford | Ref | 294,348 | £11.7m | £39.91 | +24% | |
| 10 | Bradford | Ref | — | 563,605 | £22.3m | £39.56 | +22% |
| 11 | Sandwell | Ref | — | 353,860 | £13.8m | £39.12 | +21% |
| 12 | Liverpool | Lab | 508,961 | £19.7m | £38.76 | +20% | |
| 13 | St. Helens | Ref | 188,861 | £7.2m | £37.88 | +17% | |
| 14 | Sefton | Lab | — | 286,281 | £10.4m | £36.22 | +12% |
| 15 | Wirral | Lab | 328,873 | £11.6m | £35.37 | +9% | |
| 16 | Wigan | Ref | 344,922 | £11.4m | £33.07 | +2% | |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | Ref | 281,251 | £9.3m | £32.93 | +2% | |
| 18 | Doncaster | Ref | 319,765 | £10.3m | £32.31 | 0% | |
| 19 | Dudley | Ref | 331,930 | £9.8m | £29.54 | -9% | |
| 20 | Wakefield | Ref | — | 367,666 | £10.0m | £27.12 | -16% |
| 21 | Oldham | Ref | 251,560 | £6.6m | £26.08 | -19% | |
| 22 | Tameside | Ref | 239,643 | £5.9m | £24.77 | -23% | |
| 23 | Calderdale | Ref | — | 210,929 | £4.8m | £22.90 | -29% |
| 24 | Leeds | Ref | 845,189 | £19.3m | £22.80 | -29% | |
| 25 | Stockport | LD | 303,929 | £6.9m | £22.54 | -30% | |
| 26 | Coventry | Ref | — | 369,026 | £8.3m | £22.38 | -31% |
| 27 | Bolton | Ref | 310,085 | £6.1m | £19.59 | -39% | |
| 28 | Barnsley | Ref | 251,770 | £4.9m | £19.51 | -40% | |
| 29 | Rotherham | Lab | 276,595 | £5.3m | £19.31 | -40% | |
| 30 | Bury | Lab | 198,921 | £2.6m | £13.18 | -59% | |
| 31 | Kirklees | Ref | — | 447,847 | £5.8m | £12.94 | -60% |
| 32 | North Tyneside | Ref | 215,025 | £2.8m | £12.88 | -60% | |
| 33 | Trafford | Lab | 241,025 | £3.0m | £12.28 | -62% | |
| 34 | Newcastle upon Tyne | LD | — | 320,605 | £3.4m | £10.75 | -67% |
| 35 | Solihull | Con | — | 221,242 | £0.3m | £1.47 | -95% |
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.