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Overview

South East · Non-metropolitan district

Dartford

2026/27 view

Dartford · ONS E07000107

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

72/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Good

Compared only with non-metropolitan district councils using central government returns.

164 councils in peer group Rank 32 of 164 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover45
Debt burden100
Liquidity92
Debt direction52
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £-171.23m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
−£7.56m 4.6%
Service expenditure £28.28m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£2.78m 10.9%
Unallocated reserves £3.50m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£500.0k 16.7%
FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL TREND

How this council's finances have changed

Official annual outturn. Each line uses its own scale so direction remains easy to read.

Through 2024/25
Service expenditure £28.28m
21.3%
2020/21: £23.31m 2021/22: £20.07m 2022/23: £21.45m 2023/24: £25.50m 2024/25: £28.28m
Net revenue expenditure £18.27m
79.4%
2020/21: £10.18m 2021/22: £7.28m 2022/23: £10.51m 2023/24: £12.99m 2024/25: £18.27m
Council Tax requirement £8.94m
8.2%
2020/21: £8.26m 2021/22: £8.26m 2022/23: £8.44m 2023/24: £8.59m 2024/25: £8.94m
Unallocated reserves £3.50m
16.7%
2020/21: £3.00m 2021/22: £3.00m 2022/23: £3.00m 2023/24: £3.00m 2024/25: £3.50m
COUNCILMETRICS COMMUNITY SCORE Share your experience 0 of 25 responses collected before results are published
Score this council
Political controlNot yet recordedAdministration not identified
Council leaderNot identifiedParty not identified
Resident population125,0112024 estimate
Latest net debt£-171.23m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for Dartford, with like-for-like comparison against collection authorities.

2024/25
23.7%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

0.3 percentage points vs 2023/24
194 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%
Residual waste603.5 kgper household−1.1 kg year on year
Waste collected319.7 kgper resident−8.9 kg year on year
Household waste39,961tonnes collected9,480 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

9,480 t recycled, composted or reused 30,481 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

23.7%
2015/16: 25.6%2016/17: 25.2%2017/18: 25.2%2018/19: 25.9%2019/20: 24.3%2020/21: 24.5%2021/22: 24.3%2022/23: 23.5%2023/24: 24.0%2024/25: 23.7%
2015/162024/25
Official Defra waste statistics · Annual local-authority return · Figures may not sum exactly because of published rounding.View source
EDUCATION

Schools and education

Schools, pupil numbers and latest education outcomes across Dartford.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
43 Open schools
24,771 Pupils
25,453 School places
97.3% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Dartford.

Attainment 8
51.2
South East 47.0
England 46.1
5.1 points above England
English & maths grade 5+
56.2%
South East 47.9%
England 45.4%
10.8 percentage points above England
EBacc entry
59.4%
South East 41.6%
England 40.5%
18.9 percentage points above England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

0.11

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

50.2 18/19
52.7 19/20
53.5 20/21
52.4 21/22
50.4 22/23
50.8 23/24
51.2 24/25
Education context

Dartford's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes are above both South East and England benchmarks across all three headline measures.

Department for Education · Key Stage 4 performance · Pupil residency
HOUSING & AFFORDABILITY

Housing costs and local earnings

House prices and affordability for Dartford, based on the earnings of local residents.

2025
Median house price
£375,000
+ 17.2% over five years
Median resident earnings
£44,091
+ 16.1% over five years
House price to earnings
8.51×
Higher from 8.43× five years ago
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Dartford.

£1,570 / month
+ 3.0% in the last year
July 2026
Dartford
£1,570
+ 3.0%
South East
£1,419
+ 2.9%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with South East £151 more per month
Compared with England £119 more per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

Median house price as a multiple of median resident earnings. Lower is more affordable.

Dartford
8.51×
South East
9.20×
England
7.64×
Compared with South East More affordable
Compared with England Less affordable
Source: Office for National Statistics · Housing affordability in England and Wales · House prices year ending September · Residence-based earnings
PLANNING & HOUSING DELIVERY

Is development moving through the system?

Quarterly planning decisions and the government's latest three-year Housing Delivery Test.

2026 Q1
Applications received154this quarter+12 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided132this quarter−7 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
78.8%approved
Overall approval rate104 granted28 refused+7.6 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

96.2%
Rank 71 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

5.6 percentage points higher than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major6100.0%100.0% Minor2470.8%87.5% Other10279.4%98.0%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 1322024 Q3: 1222024 Q4: 1222025 Q1: 1902025 Q2: 1362025 Q3: 1512025 Q4: 1422026 Q1: 1542024 Q2: 1482024 Q3: 1202024 Q4: 1192025 Q1: 1292025 Q2: 1542025 Q3: 1702025 Q4: 1392026 Q1: 132
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

96%
Required2,330homes over three years
Delivered2,226homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for Dartford, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 11,010 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 46.7 offences per 1,000 residents
Annual change − 20.7% compared with the previous year
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
Dartford Your council
46.7 − 20.7%
South East Region
70.5 − 2.7%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

Dartford has a recorded crime rate 33.7% below South East. It is 44.0% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Kent
Violence 3,698
15.7 per 1,000 − 25.8%
Theft 4,400
18.7 per 1,000 − 15.4%
Public order 510
2.2 per 1,000 − 26.2%
Criminal damage 1,031
4.4 per 1,000 − 29.3%
Shoplifting 2,640
11.2 per 1,000 + 16.9%
Vehicle offences 659
2.8 per 1,000 − 44.2%
Burglary 290
1.2 per 1,000 − 42.1%
Drug offences 438
1.9 per 1,000 − 23.6%
Crime figures cover the Dartford and Gravesham Community Safety Partnership, including Dartford, Gravesham.
ONS / Home Office · Police-recorded crime · Community Safety Partnership data
SCHOOLS & OFSTED

Schools and inspection outcomes

Open schools, pupil numbers and the latest published Ofsted inspection position for Dartford.

43 schools
Open schools 43
Pupils 24,771
School places 25,453
Capacity used 97.3%
Primary 29 schools
12,148 pupils
Secondary 11 schools
12,332 pupils
16+ provision 1 school
0 pupils
All-through 1 school
128 pupils
Other / specialist 1 school
163 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 7
16.3% of open schools
Previous full framework 23
53.5% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 11
25.6% of open schools
No Ofsted record 1
2.3% of open schools
No published outcome 1
2.3% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

7 schools assessed
Achievement 7 assessed
Expected standard 4
Exceptional 1
Needs attention 1
Strong standard 1
Attendance & behaviour 7 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Exceptional 1
Needs attention 1
Curriculum & teaching 7 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 2
Needs attention 1
Inclusion 7 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 3
Leadership & governance 7 assessed
Expected standard 4
Exceptional 1
Needs attention 1
Strong standard 1
Personal development 7 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 2
Exceptional 1
Safeguarding 7 assessed
Met 7
PREVIOUS FRAMEWORK

Legacy Ofsted ratings

These ratings apply only to schools whose latest full inspection remains under the previous Ofsted framework. Schools assessed under the renewed framework are shown separately above.

Outstanding 3
Good 12
Requires improvement 2
Not judged 6
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
Bean Primary School URN 118266 · DA2 8AW Primary 204 210 Good
Dartford Bridge Community Primary School URN 147454 · DA1 5GB Primary 473 446 Good
Ebbsfleet Green Primary School URN 147867 · DA10 1AL Primary 451 461 Good
Fleetdown Primary Academy URN 148519 · DA2 6JX Primary 636 654 Not judged
Greenlands Primary School URN 146574 · DA2 8DH Primary 182 210 Requires improvement
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Dartford URN 118859 · DA1 5AF Primary 405 420 Ungraded inspection
Joydens Wood Infant School URN 137660 · DA5 2JD Primary 190 270 Ungraded inspection
Joydens Wood Junior School URN 137661 · DA2 7NE Primary 315 280 Not judged
School information: Get Information about Schools (GIAS). Inspection information: Ofsted monthly management information. Inspection frameworks differ over time, so renewed-framework standards and previous overall effectiveness grades are shown separately.
Published expenditure£0.00No spending file imported
Revenue budget£0.00Not imported
Reported overspend£0.00Not imported outturn
Contracts00 active
Identified suppliers0Normalised entities
PEOPLE AND PLACE

Population snapshot

View full People profile
Population 125,011 2024
South East region 9,642,942
Dartford represents 1.30% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+11,083 residents ↑ 9.7%
2019: 113,928 residents2020: 115,572 residents2021: 116,819 residents2022: 119,042 residents2023: 121,966 residents2024: 125,011 residents
Dartford +9.7%
South East +4.9%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Dartford's population grew over five years. Its change was 4.8 percentage points above the South East and 5.5 percentage points above England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates
Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile
BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in Dartford?

People receiving Universal Credit and how the caseload has changed over the latest 24 months.

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 12,596 10.1% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +7.3% +853 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +0.9% +117 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Dartford LOCAL AUTHORITY
10.1%
South East REGION
9.5%
England COUNTRY
12.3%
Percentage of the resident population receiving Universal Credit. This is not an unemployment rate.
24-MONTH TREND

People receiving Universal Credit

Monthly caseload recorded on the DWP Universal Credit system.

June 2024 May 2026
12,613 11,559 10,505
June 2024 May 2026
What does this measure?

Universal Credit provides financial support to people who are on a low income or out of work. These figures count people receiving Universal Credit, not households and not the number of people who are unemployed.

DWP Stat-Xplore
HOUSING LICENSING

HMOs and property licensing

Coverage not assessedNational HMO explorer
Licensed HMOsAwaiting registerOnly licensed properties will be counted
Register accessNot assessedNo register record available
Identifiable HMO expenditureNot identifiableNot separately described in published transactions
Inspection and enforcement dataAwaiting dataNo activity source imported yet
Coverage note

A licensed HMO register has not yet been located for this council. CouncilMetrics does not estimate HMO expenditure from broad housing or social-care descriptions.

FINANCE

How this council raises and spends money

Comparable official outturn for 2024/25, reported to central government.

MHCLG official outturn
Total service expenditure
£28.28m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£18.27m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£8.94m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£3.50m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £226
Median for councils of the same type £166 36.7% above peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £11.03m · Income £1.71m
£9.31m
Housing Gross £10.32m · Income £3.21m
£7.11m
Central services Gross £16.96m · Income £11.95m
£5.01m
Planning and development Gross £6.75m · Income £2.70m
£4.06m
Culture and related services Gross £3.40m · Income £912.0k
£2.49m
Other services Gross £732.0k · Income £496.0k
£236.0k
Public health Gross £146.0k · Income £91.0k
£55.0k
Highways and transport Gross £1.01m · Income £1.00m
£3.0k
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£8.94m
Retained business rates£19.05m
Revenue Support Grant£145.0k
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £3.00m
Closing £3.50m
£500.0k increase during 2024/25
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Revenue Outturn RS and RSX · values shown in pounds Official dataset
BORROWING AND INVESTMENTS

Balance-sheet position

A point-in-time view of debt and liquid investments at the end of 2026/27 Q1.

MHCLG quarterly return
Outstanding borrowing
£23.34m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£194.58m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£-171.23m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£-1,370 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £-1,370
Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 1,538.6% lower than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£7.56m quarterly reduction
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement −£7.56m −4.6%
Change across the series −£79.64m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

Net debt reduced during the latest quarter as the balance between borrowing and investments improved.

BORROWING COMPOSITION

Where the borrowing sits

PWLB, other longer-term borrowing and short-term borrowing.

2026/27 Q1
Public Works Loan Board£23.34m
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment live table · 2026/27 Q1 · values shown in pounds Official dataset
COUNCIL TAX & COLLECTION

How much council tax remains unpaid?

Council tax collection, outstanding arrears and write-offs reported to central government.

MHCLG 2025/26
Outstanding arrears
£13.75m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
95.46% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£1.29m Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£94.29m Receipts relating to the financial year
FIVE-YEAR TREND

How has unpaid council tax changed?

Outstanding arrears at each financial year-end.

2021/22–2025/26
OUTSTANDING ARREARS 2025/26
£13.75m
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 40.1%
+ £3.94m
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£9.81m 2021/22 £10.40m 2022/23 £10.55m 2023/24 £12.41m 2024/25 £13.75m 2025/26

Figures represent total outstanding council tax balances, including arrears carried forward from earlier years. Changes in council boundaries can affect historical comparisons.

OUTSTANDING ARREARS

Where does the unpaid council tax come from?

Breakdown of outstanding balances at the end of 2025/26.

£13.75m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £4.69m

34.1% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £9.07m

65.9% of outstanding arrears

Current-year arrears Earlier-years arrears

Earlier-years arrears represent unpaid council tax carried forward from previous financial years. These figures do not identify individual households or establish whether balances are recoverable.

COLLECTION PERFORMANCE

How does this council compare?

England 2025/26
In-year collection rate 95.46%

England average: 95.60%  ·  0.14 percentage points below England

Outstanding arrears include unpaid balances from earlier financial years and are not the same as council tax uncollected during 2025/26. Monetary values are rounded for display. Official MHCLG source

SPENDING

Published directorate expenditure

Explore all 0 records
CONTRACTS

Largest contracts

Explore all 0 contracts
ContractSupplierStatusEnd dateOriginal value
SUPPLIERS

Largest supplier exposure

Dated transactions
SupplierPaymentsPublished expenditure
PROVENANCE

Source documents

39 imported
DocumentDatasetPeriodStatusOfficial source
Housing Delivery Test 2025 results — Dartfordmhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Dartfordmhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Dartfordmhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Dartford Borough Councildefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Dartfordmhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Dartfordmhclg revenue outturn rs2024/25importedOpen
How to read these figures and the Financial Health Score

Budget summaries and financial positions retain the reporting year and assurance status of their original source. Draft or unaudited values are labelled separately from audited outturn figures. The Financial Health Score uses reserves cover, net debt per resident, liquidity and quarterly debt direction from central MHCLG returns. Each component is converted to a percentile among councils of the same authority type; available components are weighted 35%, 30%, 20% and 15% respectively. A score is published only when at least three components covering 65% of the weighting are available. It is a comparative financial indicator, not an assessment of service quality or political performance.