Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23867 on Local Government Finance, what core spending power excluding council tax was in each local authority in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

Core Spending Power measures the core revenue funding available for local authority services through the local government finance settlement. Core Spending Power has been the government’s chosen measure of resources because it gives a consistent measure of resources available to any local authority across revenue grant funding made available through the settlement, locally retained business rates and council tax. The new government has continued this approach.

Further information about each local authority’s core spending power can be accessed using the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-information-table-for-local-authorities-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026.