MHCLG · 8 periods · 293 of 294 areas in the latest
How far apart are local authorities on unallocated council reserves?
The distribution of unallocated council reserves across councils in every period held, from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The gap is a description of dispersion, not a verdict on it.
The gap between the 90th and 10th percentile of local authorities on unallocated council reserves increased from £15.9m in Year ending March 2018 to £23.7m in Year ending March 2025.
Money in cash terms: a gap in pounds grows with prices as well as with dispersion. The coefficient of variation column is unaffected by that.
| Period | p10 | p25 | Median | p75 | p90 | p90 − p10 | p90 ÷ p10 | CV | Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending March 2025 | £1.4m | £2.8m | £8.1m | £15.5m | £25m | £23.7m | 293 | ||
| Year ending March 2024 | £1m | £2.3m | £6.8m | £14.9m | £23.1m | £22m | 294 | ||
| Year ending March 2023 | £1.5m | £2.6m | £7.2m | £14.1m | £24.7m | £23.3m | 16.55 | 125.4% | 290 |
| Year ending March 2022 | £1.5m | £2.8m | £8m | £14.1m | £23.9m | £22.4m | 16.33 | 149.1% | 289 |
| Year ending March 2021 | £1.5m | £3m | £7.8m | £15.2m | £24.8m | £23.3m | 16.64 | 136.9% | 288 |
| Year ending March 2020 | £1.3m | £2.5m | £7m | £13.1m | £18.3m | £17m | 14.35 | 120.4% | 287 |
| Year ending March 2019 | £1.5m | £3m | £6.7m | £12.2m | £17m | £15.5m | 11.31 | 125.8% | 283 |
| Year ending March 2018 | £1.4m | £3m | £6.4m | £11.8m | £17.3m | £15.9m | 12.23 | 139.0% | 283 |
Between Year ending March 2018 and Year ending March 2025 the median moved +1.7, the 10th percentile 0.0 and the 90th +7.8, in the measure’s own unit.
What this establishes, and what it does not
It establishes how dispersed the published figures for councils were in each period, and whether that dispersion is larger or smaller than it was. It does not establish why, whether any council’s figure is high or low for a good reason, or whether a narrower spread would be better: the site does not hold a view on that.
Percentiles are taken over councils with a published figure for the period, by linear interpolation between sorted values. A period is shown only when at least six in ten councils have a figure for it.
The gap between the 90th and 10th percentile of local authorities on unallocated council reserves increased from £15.9m in Year ending March 2018 to £23.7m in Year ending March 2025.
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