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Highland council debt
Unitary authority, Scotland. Latest figures: Jun 2026.
Total debt
£1.43bn
£1,430,228,000
Debt per person
£6,028
237,260 residents
Net debt
£1.33bn
after £96.1m of investments
Change in a year
+10.1%
+£131m since Mar 2025
Debt to budget
1.9×
times net current spending, 2024-25
Local economy
£40,129
GDP per person; debt is 15.0% of the area's £9.52bn GDP
Debt cost
£503
per person: £119m of interest and repayment in 2024-25 (£68.3m interest)
Highland has the 5th highest debt per person of 197 single-tier councils in the UK (Jun 2026).
Highland debt over time
Outstanding borrowing at each date, Mar 2010 to Jun 2026.
Who Highland 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 | £1.15bn | 81% |
| Other councilsloans from other local authorities, usually short term | £170m | 12% |
| Banksloans from UK banks, including LOBO loans (lender option, borrower option) | £105m | 7% |
| Pension funds, insurers and other financial institutionslenders that are financial institutions but not banks: pension funds, insurance companies, investment funds, the Municipal Bonds Agency | £1.0m | 0% |
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.
Highland debt by year
| Date | Debt | Investments | Net debt | Per person | Population | Debt cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | £1.43bn | £96.1m | £1.33bn | £6,028 | 237,260 | £119m |
| Mar 2026 | £1.43bn | £33.9m | £1.39bn | £6,007 | 237,260 | – |
| Dec 2025 | £1.39bn | £57.8m | £1.33bn | £5,846 | 237,260 | £119m |
| Sep 2025 | £1.33bn | £51.6m | £1.28bn | £5,594 | 237,260 | £119m |
| Jun 2025 | £1.32bn | £62.4m | £1.25bn | £5,536 | 237,570 | £119m |
| Mar 2025 | £1.29bn | £42.9m | £1.25bn | £5,447 | 237,570 | £119m |
| Dec 2024 | £1.23bn | £58.5m | £1.17bn | £5,160 | 237,570 | £55.3m |
| Sep 2024 | £1.14bn | £54.5m | £1.08bn | £4,782 | 237,570 | £55.3m |
| Jun 2024 | £1.14bn | £71.4m | £1.07bn | £4,816 | 236,830 | £55.3m |
| Mar 2024 | £1.13bn | £53.3m | £1.08bn | £4,782 | 236,830 | £55.3m |
| Dec 2023 | £1.08bn | £60.2m | £1.02bn | £4,573 | 236,830 | £74.3m |
| Sep 2023 | £1.03bn | £86.8m | £941m | £4,338 | 236,830 | £74.3m |
| Jun 2023 | £1.04bn | £82.8m | £955m | £4,401 | 235,710 | £74.3m |
| Mar 2023 | £1.05bn | £62.4m | £985m | £4,444 | 235,710 | £74.3m |
| Dec 2022 | £1.01bn | £63.0m | £951m | £4,303 | 235,710 | £102m |
| Sep 2022 | £985m | £76.6m | £909m | £4,180 | 235,710 | £102m |
| Jun 2022 | £1.01bn | £103m | £909m | £4,292 | 235,850 | £102m |
| Mar 2022 | £1.03bn | £95.7m | £932m | £4,359 | 235,850 | £102m |
| Dec 2021 | £1.01bn | £128m | £885m | £4,295 | 235,850 | – |
| Sep 2021 | £901m | £75.7m | £825m | £3,820 | 235,850 | – |
| Jun 2021 | £926m | £96.5m | £830m | £3,961 | 233,910 | – |
| Mar 2021 | £963m | £93.3m | £870m | £4,119 | 233,910 | – |
| Dec 2020 | £937m | £65.8m | £871m | £4,006 | 233,910 | – |
| Sep 2020 | £934m | £88.1m | £846m | £3,993 | 233,910 | – |
| Jun 2020 | £973m | £62.5m | £910m | £4,147 | 234,510 | – |
| Mar 2020 | £1.03bn | £91.0m | £942m | £4,403 | 234,510 | – |
| Mar 2019 | £949m | £78.3m | £871m | £4,047 | 234,530 | – |
| Mar 2018 | £896m | £70.5m | £826m | £3,818 | 234,800 | – |
| Mar 2017 | £883m | £63.5m | £819m | £3,764 | 234,570 | – |
| Mar 2016 | £819m | £50.9m | £768m | £3,497 | 234,060 | – |
| Mar 2015 | £761m | £65.8m | £695m | £3,264 | 233,180 | – |
| Mar 2014 | £743m | £77.1m | £666m | £3,188 | 233,080 | – |
| Mar 2013 | £685m | £75.8m | £609m | £2,941 | 233,000 | – |
| Mar 2012 | £659m | £69.1m | £590m | £2,830 | 232,730 | – |
| Mar 2011 | £616m | £52.6m | £564m | £2,672 | 230,730 | – |
| Mar 2010 | £604m | £40.4m | £563m | £2,639 | 228,750 | – |
Similar councils
| Council | Debt | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Warrington | £1.55bn | £7,189 |
| Aberdeen | £1.62bn | £7,053 |
| Barking & Dagenham | £1.59bn | £6,660 |
| Highland | £1.43bn | £6,028 |
| Perthshire & Kinross | £842m | £5,437 |
| South Tyneside | £787m | £5,204 |
| East Lothian | £600m | £5,152 |
Single-tier councils closest in debt per person, Jun 2026.