Somerset council debt
Unitary authority, England. Latest figures: Jun 2026.
Financial distress
- Exceptional Financial Support for 2024-25: £44.8m agreed by the government, allowing the council to borrow or sell assets to balance its budget.
- Exceptional Financial Support for 2025-26: £63.0m agreed by the government, allowing the council to borrow or sell assets to balance its budget.
- Exceptional Financial Support for 2026-27: £30.0m agreed by the government, allowing the council to borrow or sell assets to balance its budget.
Sources: GOV.UK Exceptional Financial Support; section 114 notices as listed in Section 114 notice (Wikipedia).
Somerset has the 141st highest debt per person of 197 single-tier councils in the UK (Jun 2026).
Somerset debt over time
Outstanding borrowing at each date, Jun 2023 to Jun 2026.
What Somerset 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, 2023-24 to 2024-25.
| Year | Capital spending | Borrowed | Biggest items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | £164m | £43.5m | Roads and transport £46.7m, Housing £43.4m, Planning and regeneration £31.3m |
| 2023-24 | £161m | £33.4m | Roads and transport £49.2m, Housing £44.9m, Schools and education £23.8m |
"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 Somerset 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 | £492m | 73% |
| Other sourcesborrowing the council did not assign to any of the groups above | £73.0m | 11% |
| Banksloans from UK banks, including LOBO loans (lender option, borrower option) | £60.5m | 9% |
| Other councilsloans from other local authorities, usually short term | £48.0m | 7% |
| Householdsmoney lent by individuals, for example community municipal investments | £415k | 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.
Somerset debt by year
| Date | Debt | Investments | Net debt | Per person | Population | Debt cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | £674m | £176m | £499m | £1,141 | 590,972 | £47.0m |
| Mar 2026 | £716m | £131m | £585m | £1,212 | 590,972 | £47.0m |
| Dec 2025 | £656m | £179m | £477m | £1,110 | 590,972 | £54.7m |
| Sep 2025 | £646m | £180m | £467m | £1,094 | 590,972 | £54.7m |
| Jun 2025 | £696m | £201m | £496m | £1,184 | 588,173 | £54.7m |
| Mar 2025 | £729m | £193m | £536m | £1,239 | 588,173 | £54.7m |
| Dec 2024 | £718m | £218m | £500m | £1,221 | 588,173 | £50.1m |
| Sep 2024 | £760m | £242m | £518m | £1,292 | 588,173 | £50.1m |
| Jun 2024 | £775m | £228m | £547m | £1,329 | 583,076 | £50.1m |
| Mar 2024 | £801m | £192m | £609m | £1,374 | 583,076 | £50.1m |
| Dec 2023 | £731m | £196m | £535m | £1,254 | 583,076 | – |
| Sep 2023 | £665m | £183m | £482m | £1,141 | 583,076 | – |
| Jun 2023 | £676m | £272m | £404m | £1,172 | 577,172 | – |
Similar councils
| Council | Debt | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes | £365m | £1,182 |
| Torfaen | £108m | £1,152 |
| North East Lincolnshire | £183m | £1,146 |
| Somerset | £674m | £1,141 |
| Wokingham | £213m | £1,127 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole | £456m | £1,123 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | £271m | £1,123 |
Single-tier councils closest in debt per person, Jun 2026.