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https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/council-debt-23

Councils in crisis: Town Hall debt levels staggering, MPs warn
https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/council-debt-23

borrowing councils debt finance flourish localgov shareddataunit

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Councils in crisis: Town Hall debt levels staggering, MPs warn

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# Councils in crisis: Town Hall debt levels staggering, MPs warn



![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/21AC/production/_128402680_gettyimages-1448821693.jpg.webp)



A BBC Shared Data Unit analysis of data by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [shows](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67707156) UK councils owe a combined £97.8bn to lenders, equivalent to £1,455 per resident, as of September 2023.



Taking into account all types of local authorities, such as police and crime commissioners and combined authorities, the debt pile rose to £122bn.



High levels of local authority debt would see residents face an "extreme and long-lasting" impact on local services, the Public Accounts Committee warned.



But council leaders said years of government under-funding meant they had been forced to take out loans and invest in commercial properties just to keep services running.



## Background and briefing



A full [briefing pack on the story can be found here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oFdf6SnPxE7K691GoXbuXJefemHymnbT-dTDwCdgVtc/edit?usp=sharing).



This analysis provides further insight into the financial condition of councils after the investigation the BBC Shared Data Unit published in August 2023 [revealing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66428191) a £5bn black hole in town hall budgets (see the [pack](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RaPLTVfmi_BqbhbHKX7J9hK8tS_gx5kAVa1o8ENnANY/edit?usp=sharing), [dataset](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TsPNg5sGIGjTwM8WIooKD-5Wk6cJugbHGAZwLsBuFy8/edit#gid=0) and [repo](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/council-finances-23)).



## Get the data



* Shared spreadsheet: [Council borrowing 2023](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oFdf6SnPxE7K691GoXbuXJefemHymnbT-dTDwCdgVtc/edit?usp=sharing) (also as a [CSV file here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/council-debt-2023/blob/main/councils-debt-23.csv))

* Council debt data by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: [Borrowing and investment live table, Q2 2023 to 2024](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-local-government-finance#borrowing-and-investment)

* ONS population figures: [Estimates of the population for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Dec 2022](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland). This excludes Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland, both created in April 2023. Their population figures were obtained from their websites ([Westmorland and Furness](https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/your-council/council-documents/council-plan#population) and [Cumberland](https://cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/671/4674/17217/17218/44719112613.pdf))



## Visualisation



Bar chart: UK councils with the largest average debt per resident - Outstanding debt as of September 2023



![](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/council-debt-2023/blob/main/BAR%20CHART%20Average%20debt%20per%20resident.png)



## Interviews and quotes



* Jonathan Carr West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit

* Andy Carter, MP for South Warrington, who has criticised his council for acting "like a hedge fund"

* Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee

* A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)

* A spokesperson for the District Councils’ Network

* A spokesperson for the Local Government Association

* Spokespeople for the local authorities of Woking, South Tyneside, East Lothian, Spelthorne, Warrington, Thurrock, Runnymede and Barking and Dagenham.

  

## BBC and partner usage



This investigation featured across BBC platforms on the 16th of January 2024 and was the most read in the [BBC News website](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67707156). Some BBC political reporters also covered the story for their local area, including [Beds, Herts & Bucks](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67980626) and [Birmingham & Black Country](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c972z36n329o).



The research got special features in some BBC radio outlets, such as [BBC Radio Kent](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h58d3f) and [BBC Radio Sheffield](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h59gb9), and [BBC local TVs](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/council-debt-2023/tree/main/BBC%20usage).



The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the BBC and the News Media Association. The partnership generated over 70 stories, including:



* Aberdeen Live: [Aberdeen City Council among UK top 10 for largest average debts per resident](https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeen-city-council-among-uk-9037982)

* Kent Online: [The Kent councils with the biggest debts and what the money has been spent on](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/the-kent-councils-with-the-biggest-debts-and-what-the-money-300093/)

* Hampshire Chronicle: [Hampshire County Council £197m in debt according to new data

](https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24050903.hampshire-county-council-197m-debt-according-new-data/)

* The Cornish Times: [Cornwall Council issue government funding plea as debt exceeds £700m](https://www.cornish-times.co.uk/news/cornwall-council-issue-government-funding-plea-as-debt-exceeds-ps700m-660809)

* The Hunts Post: [Cambridgeshire: Councils have £1.33bn of debt in total](https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/24051241.cambridgeshire-councils-1-33bn-debt-total/)

* News & Star - The Cumberland News: [Cumberland council's debt adds up to £254million, figures reveal](https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/24050009.cumberland-councils-debt-adds-254million-figures-reveal/)

* Western Telegraph: [Pembrokeshire council's £192m debts, figures reaveal](https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/24051946.pembrokeshire-councils-192m-debts-figures-reaveal/)

* East Lothian Courier: [East Lothian Council has debts of almost £450 million, study finds](https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/24052097.data-reveals-east-lothian-council-debts-almost-450-million/)

* Southern Daily Echo: [This is how much debt per resident each local council has](https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24048878.much-debt-per-resident-local-council/)



The story also featured in the [Daily Express](https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1856199/mapped-councils-debt-billions) and both print and digital editions of [The Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-councils-owe-staggering-debt-of-almost-100bn-analysis-shows-2jqkbvdg3).



Six months later, during the 2024 general election, the reporting featured in the BBC England Data Unit story '[Cost of living: Your concerns, questions and stories](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/7j4suavyef/cost_of_living_your_voice_your_vote)'. 



## Related repos



In August 2023, the BBC Shared Data Unit [revealed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66428191) that a black hole in local authority budgets continues to grow, prompting fears some will not be able to provide basic services ([repo available here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/council-finances-23)).



In July 2021, the BBC Shared Data Unit [reported](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57720900) that UK councils faced a £3bn black hole in their budgets as they emerged from the coronavirus pandemic ([repo available here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/Council_cuts_during_the_pandemic)).