Money and business · data story

What councils choose

Budgets, outturn, reserves and council tax show different moments in local public finance.

What councils choose

The evidence

What the current releases show

Updated 6 Oct 2026

01

Service spending · 2025–26

Highest published value in this view

£9,295,348

2025–26

2024–25: £8,441,756

Published local-authority service expenditure across comparable categories.

Explore What London's councils spend
02

Budget and outturn · Westminster

Highest published value in this view

£562,162

Outturn

Budget: £483,279

Planned expenditure compared with the later recorded outturn.

Explore Council budget versus outturn
03

Reserves and borrowing · Westminster

Highest published value in this view

£572,688

Gross borrowing

Revenue reserves: £276,413

Published reserve and borrowing measures kept as separate stocks.

Explore Council reserves and borrowing
04

Council-tax allocation · Education

Highest published value in this view

£7,391,854

Education

Adult social care: £3,506,481

Service shares in the published council-tax presentation.

Explore Where council budgets go

Trace the claims

Sources and records

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