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West Suffolk council debt

District council, England. Latest figures: Jun 2026.

Total debt
£8.9m
£8,875,000
Debt per person
£47
189,407 residents
Net debt
£0
after £29.4m of investments
Change in a year
−2.7%
−£250k since Mar 2025
Debt to budget
0.2×
times net current spending, 2025-26
Local economy
£37,623
GDP per person; debt is 0.1% of the area's £7.13bn GDP
Debt cost
£7
per person: £1.4m of interest and repayment in 2025-26 (£186k interest)

West Suffolk has the 122nd highest debt per person of 164 district councils in the UK (Jun 2026).

West Suffolk debt over time

£0£3.5m£7.0m£10.5m£14.0mJun 2026202020222024

Outstanding borrowing at each date, Mar 2020 to Jun 2026.

What West Suffolk 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, 2019-20 to 2024-25.

2019-20£40.6m · borrowed £22.2m2020-21£32.1m · borrowed £10.4m2021-22£23.7m · borrowed £6.8m2022-23£13.4m · borrowed £1.7m2023-24£13.0m · borrowed £1.9m2024-25£12.1m · borrowed £4.7m
Central services and corporate propertyCommercial property and companiesHousingEnvironment and wasteCulture, leisure and sportPlanning and regenerationRoads and transportDigital
YearCapital spendingBorrowedBiggest items
2024-25£12.1m£4.7mCommercial property and companies £5.8m, Environment and waste £2.4m, Housing £1.7m
2023-24£13.0m£1.9mHousing £5.9m, Commercial property and companies £5.3m, Culture, leisure and sport £1.3m
2022-23£13.4m£1.7mCommercial property and companies £4.6m, Housing £2.4m, Environment and waste £2.0m
2021-22£23.7m£6.8mCommercial property and companies £7.7m, Housing £5.3m, Planning and regeneration £4.5m
2020-21£32.1m£10.4mCentral services and corporate property £16.9m, Housing £6.8m, Commercial property and companies £2.6m
2019-20£40.6m£22.2mCentral services and corporate property £23.1m, Commercial property and companies £6.5m, Environment and waste £6.2m

"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 West Suffolk borrows from

LenderAmountShare
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£8.9m100%

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.

West Suffolk debt by year

DateDebtInvestmentsNet debtPer personPopulationDebt cost
Jun 2026£8.9m£29.4m£0£47189,407£1.4m
Mar 2026£9.0m£27.8m£0£48189,407£1.4m
Dec 2025£9.0m£52.0m£0£48189,407£1.3m
Sep 2025£9.1m£49.0m£0£48189,407£1.3m
Jun 2025£9.1m£40.0m£0£48188,197£1.3m
Mar 2025£9.2m£37.0m£0£49188,197£1.3m
Dec 2024£9.2m£52.5m£0£49188,197£1.1m
Sep 2024£9.4m£46.5m£0£50188,197£1.1m
Jun 2024£9.4m£43.5m£0£50186,052£1.1m
Mar 2024£9.5m£38.5m£0£51186,052£1.1m
Dec 2023£9.5m£56.5m£0£51186,052£1.3m
Sep 2023£9.6m£54.5m£0£52186,052£1.3m
Jun 2023£9.6m£49.5m£0£53182,319£1.3m
Mar 2023£9.8m£43.0m£0£53182,319£1.3m
Dec 2022£13.8m£71.5m£0£75182,319£997k
Sep 2022£13.9m£78.0m£0£76182,319£997k
Jun 2022£13.9m£66.0m£0£77180,813£997k
Mar 2022£14.0m£65.5m£0£77180,813£997k
Dec 2021£14.0m£76.5m£0£77180,813£690k
Sep 2021£4.0m£52.0m£0£22180,813£690k
Jun 2021£4.0m£39.5m£0£22178,236£690k
Mar 2021£4.0m£28.5m£0£22178,236£690k
Dec 2020£4.0m£38.9m£0£22178,236£568k
Sep 2020£4.0m£27.9m£0£22178,236£568k
Jun 2020£4.0m£32.6m£0£22179,703£568k
Mar 2020£4.0m£29.9m£0£22179,703£568k

Similar councils

CouncilDebtPer person
Derbyshire Dales£5.5m£76
Preston£12.3m£75
Havant£7.7m£60
West Suffolk£8.9m£47
Test Valley£5.8m£42
Rossendale£3.0m£41
Chelmsford£7.2m£38

District councils closest in debt per person, Jun 2026.

See West Suffolk on the UK council debt map