Overview

• UK local authority debt rose by £7.8bn in the year to April 2025 to £122.2bn, equal to £1,791 per resident, according to DLUHC data analysed by the BBC Shared Data Unit.
• Debt across the seven North East councils climbed to more than £4.3bn with an increase of almost £200m, averaging over £2,500 per resident and reaching £4,947 per person in South Tyneside.
• Northumberland County Council’s total debt increased by £93.7m to £834.5m, while North Tyneside borrowed £28.5m to buy its office building, citing long-term savings over leasing.
• Oxford City Council’s debt rose by almost £70m to £288.5m, which the council describes as planned borrowing to fund new and existing social housing backed by rental income.
• Buckinghamshire reduced its debt by about £7.1m to £278.6m and says it has taken no new external borrowing since 2020, as sector leaders describe the national pattern as unsustainable and akin to payday loans.