Civometry

MHCLG · 13 December 2019 – 5 July 2024

Unallocated council reserves during the Conservative 2019–2024 government

Year ending March 2019 → Year ending March 2024 · 5 periods

↑ 13.0%+£552.9m £ million

Unallocated council reserves rose by 13.0% over the period, from £4.3bn £ million (Year ending March 2019, the level when the government took office) to £4.8bn (Year ending March 2024, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level Year ending March 2019: £4.3bn
  2. Level when it left Year ending March 2024: £4.8bn
  3. method: latest complete period before start / before end

Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.

Unallocated council reserves: Year ending March 2018 to Year ending March 2025ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabour02k4k2018202020222024Year ending March 2018: £4.3bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2019: £4.3bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2020: £4.7bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2021: £5.5bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2022: £5.4bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2023: £5.1bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2024: £4.8bn £ million · published 13 August 2026Year ending March 2025: £5.4bn £ million · published 13 August 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

The unallocated financial reserves each English local authority held at 31 March — the council's uncommitted cushion, excluding reserves earmarked for a purpose and excluding schools, dedicated schools grant and public health reserves.

Doesn’t measure: Total usable reserves (earmarked reserves are a separate line), whether the level is adequate for the authority's risks, or capital reserves. A council running down this line may be spending reserves or reclassifying them as earmarked.