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Cardiff council debt
Unitary authority, Wales. Latest figures: Jun 2026.
Total debt
£1.16bn
£1,164,898,000
Debt per person
£3,053
381,516 residents
Net debt
£1.06bn
after £100m of investments
Change in a year
+17.1%
+£168m since Mar 2025
Debt to budget
1.3×
times net current spending, 2025-26
Local economy
£47,450
GDP per person; debt is 6.4% of the area's £18.1bn GDP
Debt cost
£226
per person: £86.3m of interest and repayment in 2025-26 (£42.6m interest)
Cardiff has the 43rd highest debt per person of 197 single-tier councils in the UK (Jun 2026).
Cardiff debt over time
Outstanding borrowing at each date, Mar 2010 to Jun 2026.
What Cardiff spent capital money on
Councils borrow to pay for capital spending: buildings, roads, housing, loans to their own companies, commercial property. Capital spending by service in each financial year, and how much of it was paid for by new borrowing, 2009-10 to 2025-26.
HousingSchools and educationRoads and transportPlanning, regeneration and other local servicesEnvironment and wasteCulture, leisure and sportAgriculture and fisheriesSocial care
| Year | Capital spending | Borrowed | Biggest items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £474m | £234m | Housing £156m, Schools and education £135m, Roads and transport £35.7m |
| 2024-25 | £335m | £104m | Housing £145m, Schools and education £100m, Planning, regeneration and other local services £31.8m |
| 2023-24 | £301m | £125m | Schools and education £115m, Housing £112m, Roads and transport £36.8m |
| 2022-23 | £216m | £79.9m | Housing £82.8m, Schools and education £60.8m, Roads and transport £32.9m |
| 2021-22 | £217m | £74.3m | Housing £66.7m, Schools and education £60.2m, Roads and transport £33.8m |
| 2020-21 | £166m | £61.6m | Housing £58.8m, Schools and education £46.6m, Roads and transport £24.0m |
| 2019-20 | £164m | £99.2m | Housing £46.6m, Schools and education £17.5m, Roads and transport £16.3m |
| 2018-19 | £142m | £55.8m | Schools and education £47.5m, Housing £44.2m, Roads and transport £16.1m |
| 2017-18 | £138m | £61.2m | Schools and education £58.2m, Housing £29.6m, Planning, regeneration and other local services £17.3m |
| 2016-17 | £108m | £48.4m | Schools and education £33.0m, Housing £29.3m, Roads and transport £14.0m |
| 2015-16 | £99.5m | £244m | Housing £26.0m, Schools and education £23.6m, Planning, regeneration and other local services £14.1m |
| 2014-15 | £82.5m | £36.6m | Schools and education £23.9m, Housing £23.8m, Roads and transport £15.1m |
| 2013-14 | £106m | £35.7m | Schools and education £40.4m, Housing £15.3m, Roads and transport £12.9m |
| 2012-13 | £107m | £30.7m | Schools and education £43.3m, Housing £21.5m, Roads and transport £14.0m |
| 2011-12 | £94.9m | £45.7m | Housing £34.6m, Schools and education £21.7m, Roads and transport £15.9m |
| 2010-11 | £92.4m | £45.6m | Housing £31.2m, Roads and transport £22.5m, Schools and education £22.5m |
| 2009-10 | £106m | £38.7m | Schools and education £29.0m, Housing £24.9m, Roads and transport £24.4m |
"Borrowed" is new borrowing and credit used to finance that year's spending; it can exceed the spending when a council borrows to cover earlier costs or, with government permission, day-to-day losses. Source: MHCLG capital outturn (England, from 2018-19); StatsWales capital outturn (Wales). Not yet available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Who Cardiff borrows from
| Lender | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works Loan Board (PWLB)the government's lending facility for councils, run by the UK Debt Management Office; most council borrowing comes from it | £1.11bn | 95% |
| Central government (other than PWLB)other loans from government departments | £45.9m | 4% |
| Other sourcesborrowing the council did not assign to any of the groups above | £11.0m | 1% |
Outstanding loans by type of lender as reported by the council to MHCLG, short and long term together, as at Jun 2026. The return groups lenders by sector, not by name.
Cardiff debt by year
| Date | Debt | Investments | Net debt | Per person | Population | Debt cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | £1.16bn | £100m | £1.06bn | £3,053 | 381,516 | £86.3m |
| Mar 2026 | £1.15bn | £103m | £1.04bn | £3,008 | 381,516 | £86.3m |
| Dec 2025 | £1.13bn | £115m | £1.02bn | £2,963 | 381,516 | £77.9m |
| Sep 2025 | £1.07bn | £134m | £938m | £2,810 | 381,516 | £77.9m |
| Jun 2025 | £1.05bn | £146m | £902m | £2,745 | 382,028 | £77.9m |
| Mar 2025 | £980m | £49.0m | £931m | £2,565 | 382,028 | £77.9m |
| Dec 2024 | £992m | £109m | £883m | £2,596 | 382,028 | £65.3m |
| Sep 2024 | £930m | £108m | £821m | £2,434 | 382,028 | £65.3m |
| Jun 2024 | £883m | £118m | £765m | £2,327 | 379,539 | £65.3m |
| Mar 2024 | £896m | £147m | £749m | £2,360 | 379,539 | £65.3m |
| Dec 2023 | £857m | £115m | £742m | £2,259 | 379,539 | £62.1m |
| Sep 2023 | £858m | £162m | £697m | £2,261 | 379,539 | £62.1m |
| Jun 2023 | £861m | £224m | £637m | £2,329 | 369,640 | £62.1m |
| Mar 2023 | £857m | £187m | £670m | £2,320 | 369,640 | £62.1m |
| Dec 2022 | £854m | £195m | £659m | £2,311 | 369,640 | £65.6m |
| Sep 2022 | £865m | £265m | £601m | £2,341 | 369,640 | £65.6m |
| Jun 2022 | £859m | £291m | £568m | £2,386 | 359,824 | £65.6m |
| Mar 2022 | £858m | £242m | £616m | £2,386 | 359,824 | £65.6m |
| Dec 2021 | £879m | £203m | £676m | £2,443 | 359,824 | £58.7m |
| Sep 2021 | £828m | £167m | £661m | £2,300 | 359,824 | £58.7m |
| Jun 2021 | £813m | £188m | £625m | £2,256 | 360,287 | £58.7m |
| Mar 2021 | £813m | £153m | £660m | £2,256 | 360,287 | £58.7m |
| Dec 2020 | £830m | £153m | £677m | £2,305 | 360,287 | £57.0m |
| Sep 2020 | £831m | £178m | £653m | £2,305 | 360,287 | £57.0m |
| Jun 2020 | £831m | £200m | £631m | £2,326 | 357,137 | £57.0m |
| Mar 2020 | £831m | £139m | £692m | £2,328 | 357,137 | £57.0m |
| Mar 2019 | £724m | £107m | £617m | £2,039 | 355,125 | £58.8m |
| Mar 2018 | £696m | £72.6m | £624m | £1,965 | 354,348 | £56.0m |
| Mar 2017 | £676m | £85.7m | £591m | £1,916 | 352,982 | £56.9m |
| Mar 2016 | £670m | £73.0m | £597m | £1,905 | 351,600 | £55.8m |
| Mar 2015 | £474m | £73.5m | £400m | £1,350 | 350,949 | £48.0m |
| Mar 2014 | £476m | £86.6m | £389m | £1,360 | 349,982 | £45.5m |
| Mar 2013 | £456m | £82.0m | £374m | £1,311 | 348,084 | £44.9m |
| Mar 2012 | £442m | £74.8m | £367m | £1,278 | 345,442 | £44.0m |
| Mar 2011 | £442m | £103m | £339m | £1,294 | 341,402 | £41.5m |
| Mar 2010 | £418m | £81.5m | £337m | £1,238 | 337,656 | £37.0m |
Similar councils
| Council | Debt | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton | £870m | £3,092 |
| North Ayrshire | £410m | £3,065 |
| Manchester | £1.80bn | £3,064 |
| Cardiff | £1.16bn | £3,053 |
| Brent | £1.07bn | £3,048 |
| Clackmannanshire | £153m | £2,964 |
| Birmingham | £3.49bn | £2,962 |
Single-tier councils closest in debt per person, Jun 2026.