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Overview

West Midlands · Non-metropolitan district

Stafford

2026/27 view

Stafford · ONS E07000197

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

75/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Good

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

164 councils in peer group Rank 28 of 164 Medium confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover55
Debt burden91
Debt direction88
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £-72.75m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
−£17.40m 31.4%
Service expenditure £19.22m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£677.0k 3.7%
Unallocated reserves £3.39m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
−£1.05m 23.5%
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 £19.22m
24.1%
2020/21: £15.49m 2021/22: £10.53m 2022/23: £15.35m 2023/24: £18.55m 2024/25: £19.22m
Net revenue expenditure £14.17m
2.6%
2020/21: £13.82m 2021/22: £8.93m 2022/23: £13.58m 2023/24: £11.81m 2024/25: £14.17m
Council Tax requirement £10.00m
12.9%
2020/21: £8.86m 2021/22: £9.01m 2022/23: £9.30m 2023/24: £9.57m 2024/25: £10.00m
Unallocated reserves £3.39m
143.1%
2020/21: £1.40m 2021/22: £1.83m 2022/23: £2.57m 2023/24: £4.44m 2024/25: £3.39m
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 population141,5562024 estimate
Latest net debt£-72.75m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

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

2024/25
44.0%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

1.4 percentage points vs 2023/24
70 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%
Residual waste465.1 kgper household+12.5 kg year on year
Waste collected376.6 kgper resident+1.5 kg year on year
Household waste53,308tonnes collected23,464 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

23,464 t recycled, composted or reused 29,845 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

44.0%
2015/16: 52.4%2016/17: 51.9%2017/18: 50.0%2018/19: 49.9%2019/20: 50.2%2020/21: 49.6%2021/22: 46.4%2022/23: 44.6%2023/24: 45.4%2024/25: 44.0%
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 Stafford.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
66 Open schools
18,003 Pupils
19,558 School places
92.0% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Stafford.

Attainment 8
45.8
West Midlands 44.6
England 46.1
0.3 points below England
English & maths grade 5+
44.5%
West Midlands 41.7%
England 45.4%
0.9 percentage points below England
EBacc entry
31.4%
West Midlands 37.9%
England 40.5%
9.1 percentage points below England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

-0.12

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

47.3 18/19
50.7 19/20
51.9 20/21
49.6 21/22
47.1 22/23
45.9 23/24
45.8 24/25
Education context

Stafford's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with West Midlands and England.

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

Housing costs and local earnings

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

2025
Median house price
£260,000
+ 20.9% over five years
Median resident earnings
£39,726
+ 27.9% over five years
House price to earnings
6.54×
Improved from 6.92× five years ago
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Stafford.

£898 / month
+ 6.3% in the last year
July 2026
Stafford
£898
+ 6.3%
West Midlands
£974
+ 4.5%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with West Midlands £76 less per month
Compared with England £553 less per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

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

Stafford
6.54×
West Midlands
6.80×
England
7.64×
Compared with West Midlands More affordable
Compared with England More 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 received112this quarter+6 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided132this quarter+32 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
77.3%approved
Overall approval rate102 granted30 refused−4.7 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

69.7%
Rank 287 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

19.7 percentage points higher than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major2100.0%100.0% Minor4969.4%73.5% Other8181.5%66.7%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 1802024 Q3: 1472024 Q4: 1362025 Q1: 1302025 Q2: 1792025 Q3: 1452025 Q4: 1062026 Q1: 1122024 Q2: 1542024 Q3: 1402024 Q4: 1592025 Q1: 1072025 Q2: 1522025 Q3: 1282025 Q4: 1002026 Q1: 132
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

149%
Required1,120homes over three years
Delivered1,666homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

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

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 9,018 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 63.7 offences per 1,000 residents
Annual change + 1.8% compared with the previous year
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
Stafford Your council
63.7 + 1.8%
West Midlands Region
82.2 − 1.2%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

Stafford has a recorded crime rate 22.5% below West Midlands. It is 23.7% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Staffordshire
Violence 3,958
28.0 per 1,000 + 0.7%
Theft 2,030
14.3 per 1,000 − 9.2%
Public order 874
6.2 per 1,000 − 4.5%
Criminal damage 776
5.5 per 1,000 + 5.0%
Shoplifting 577
4.1 per 1,000 − 19.3%
Vehicle offences 302
2.1 per 1,000 − 16.8%
Burglary 302
2.1 per 1,000 − 11.4%
Drug offences 394
2.8 per 1,000 + 26.7%
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 Stafford.

66 schools
Open schools 66
Pupils 18,003
School places 19,558
Capacity used 92.0%
Primary 49 schools
9,782 pupils
Other / specialist 9 schools
1,454 pupils
Secondary 6 schools
5,685 pupils
Middle deemed secondary 2 schools
1,082 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 8
12.1% of open schools
Previous full framework 25
37.9% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 27
40.9% of open schools
No Ofsted record 4
6.1% of open schools
No published outcome 2
3.0% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

8 schools assessed
Achievement 8 assessed
Expected standard 5
Needs attention 2
Strong standard 1
Attendance & behaviour 8 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 4
Curriculum & teaching 8 assessed
Expected standard 6
Needs attention 1
Strong standard 1
Inclusion 8 assessed
Expected standard 5
Strong standard 2
Needs attention 1
Leadership & governance 8 assessed
Expected standard 5
Strong standard 3
Personal development 8 assessed
Strong standard 6
Expected standard 2
Safeguarding 8 assessed
Met 8
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 2
Good 14
Requires improvement 3
Inadequate 1
Not judged 5
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery URN 150923 · ST18 9JU Primary 72 70 Requires improvement
All Saints CofE (C) First School URN 124274 · ST21 6RN Primary 41 60 Good
Anson CofE Primary School URN 146863 · ST18 0SU Primary 98 105 Good
Barlaston CofE (VC) First School URN 124233 · ST12 9DB Primary 113 150 Good
Barnfields Primary School URN 142981 · ST17 4RD Primary 399 420 Ungraded inspection
Beaconfields Primary School URN 150784 · ST16 1ZY Primary 100 236 No published outcome
Berkswich CofE (VC) Primary School URN 124234 · ST17 0LU Primary 214 210 Ungraded inspection
Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy URN 143351 · ST21 6AU Primary 287 330 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 141,556 2024
West Midlands region 6,187,204
Stafford represents 2.29% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+6,270 residents ↑ 4.6%
2019: 135,286 residents2020: 135,685 residents2021: 137,201 residents2022: 138,596 residents2023: 140,227 residents2024: 141,556 residents
Stafford +4.6%
West Midlands +4.5%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Stafford's population grew over five years. Its change was broadly in line with the West Midlands and broadly in line with 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 Stafford?

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

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 12,376 8.7% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +9.4% +1,066 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +0.8% +95 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Stafford LOCAL AUTHORITY
8.7%
West Midlands REGION
13.9%
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
12,376 11,309 10,241
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
£19.22m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£14.17m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£10.00m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£3.39m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £136
Median for councils of the same type £166 18.0% below peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Central services Gross £19.03m · Income £13.76m
£5.27m
Planning and development Gross £6.13m · Income £1.29m
£4.84m
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £8.96m · Income £4.33m
£4.63m
Housing Gross £3.17m · Income £568.0k
£2.60m
Culture and related services Gross £2.96m · Income £514.0k
£2.44m
Other services Gross £187.0k · Income £166.0k
£21.0k
Highways and transport Gross £2.26m · Income £2.84m
£-577.0k
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£10.00m
Retained business rates£8.75m
Revenue Support Grant£120.0k
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £2.91m
Closing £3.39m
£486.0k 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
£0.00 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£72.75m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£-72.75m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£-514 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £-514
Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 639.7% lower than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£17.40m quarterly reduction
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement −£17.40m −31.4%
Change across the series −£28.43m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

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

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
£12.59m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
97.54% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£537,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£109.72m 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
£12.59m
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 49.9%
+ £4.19m
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£8.40m 2021/22 £10.27m 2022/23 £10.72m 2023/24 £11.33m 2024/25 £12.59m 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.

£12.59m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £2.88m

22.9% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £9.71m

77.1% 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 97.54%

England average: 95.60%  ·  1.94 percentage points above 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 — Staffordmhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Staffordmhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Staffordmhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Stafford Borough Councildefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Stafford BCmhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Stafford BCmhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Staffordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Staffordmhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Staffordmhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Staffordmhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Stafford BCmhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Stafford BCmhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Staffordmhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Stafford BCmhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Stafford BCmhclg 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.