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Overview

South East · Non-metropolitan district

Waverley

2026/27 view

Waverley · ONS E07000216

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

54/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Mixed

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

164 councils in peer group Rank 72 of 164 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover79
Debt burden39
Liquidity58
Debt direction20
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £41.61m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
+£2.55m 6.5%
Service expenditure £14.95m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
−£92.6k 0.6%
Unallocated reserves £5.99m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£1.39m 30.4%
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 £14.95m
0.7%
2020/21: £14.84m 2021/22: £14.75m 2022/23: £16.21m 2023/24: £15.04m 2024/25: £14.95m
Net revenue expenditure £11.99m
28.1%
2020/21: £16.67m 2021/22: £11.14m 2022/23: £2.58m 2023/24: £16.16m 2024/25: £11.99m
Council Tax requirement £16.83m
21.7%
2020/21: £13.84m 2021/22: £14.28m 2022/23: £15.04m 2023/24: £15.90m 2024/25: £16.83m
Unallocated reserves £5.99m
45.8%
2020/21: £4.10m 2021/22: £4.14m 2022/23: £4.55m 2023/24: £4.59m 2024/25: £5.99m
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 population134,2842024 estimate
Latest net debt£41.61m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

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

2024/25
55.8%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

1.2 percentage points vs 2023/24
20 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%
Residual waste363.3 kgper household+13.3 kg year on year
Waste collected351.6 kgper resident+1.7 kg year on year
Household waste47,312tonnes collected26,390 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

26,390 t recycled, composted or reused 20,922 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

55.8%
2015/16: 54.8%2016/17: 51.3%2017/18: 54.9%2018/19: 54.6%2019/20: 54.4%2020/21: 57.0%2021/22: 58.9%2022/23: 57.8%2023/24: 57.0%2024/25: 55.8%
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 Waverley.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
74 Open schools
24,524 Pupils
26,959 School places
91.0% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Waverley.

Attainment 8
55.1
South East 47.0
England 46.1
9.0 points above England
English & maths grade 5+
64.5%
South East 47.9%
England 45.4%
19.1 percentage points above England
EBacc entry
36.9%
South East 41.6%
England 40.5%
3.6 percentage points below England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

0.52

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

54.8 18/19
56.4 19/20
57.4 20/21
55.8 21/22
54.5 22/23
55.4 23/24
55.1 24/25
Education context

Waverley's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with South East and England.

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

Housing costs and local earnings

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

2025
Median house price
£548,000
+ 14.2% over five years
Median resident earnings
£49,769
+ 20.9% over five years
House price to earnings
11.01×
Improved from 11.66× five years ago
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Waverley.

£1,450 / month
-3.2% in the last year
July 2026
Waverley
£1,450
-3.2%
South East
£1,419
+ 2.9%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with South East £31 more per month
Compared with England £1 less per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

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

Waverley
11.01×
South East
9.20×
England
7.64×
Compared with South East Less 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 received366this quarter+2 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided325this quarter−21 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
89.9%approved
Overall approval rate292 granted33 refused+3.4 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

96.0%
Rank 77 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

0.2 percentage points lower than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major757.1%85.7% Minor8180.3%92.6% Other23794.1%97.5%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 3542024 Q3: 3952024 Q4: 3752025 Q1: 4192025 Q2: 3612025 Q3: 3522025 Q4: 3642026 Q1: 3662024 Q2: 3642024 Q3: 3872024 Q4: 4112025 Q1: 3242025 Q2: 3442025 Q3: 3632025 Q4: 3462026 Q1: 325
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

117%
Required2,036homes over three years
Delivered2,382homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

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

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 5,036 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 37.5 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
Waverley Your council
37.5 + 1.8%
South East Region
70.5 − 2.7%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

Waverley has a recorded crime rate 46.8% below South East. It is 55.1% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Surrey
Violence 2,003
14.9 per 1,000 + 6.9%
Theft 1,462
10.9 per 1,000 − 0.7%
Public order 525
3.9 per 1,000 − 6.1%
Criminal damage 472
3.5 per 1,000 − 4.6%
Shoplifting 433
3.2 per 1,000 + 5.1%
Vehicle offences 235
1.8 per 1,000 − 19.2%
Burglary 297
2.2 per 1,000 − 0.3%
Drug offences 131
1.0 per 1,000 + 19.1%
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 Waverley.

74 schools
Open schools 74
Pupils 24,524
School places 26,959
Capacity used 91.0%
Primary 38 schools
8,946 pupils
Other / specialist 27 schools
7,960 pupils
Secondary 7 schools
7,525 pupils
16+ provision 1 school
0 pupils
Nursery 1 school
93 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 5
6.8% of open schools
Previous full framework 23
31.1% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 23
31.1% of open schools
No Ofsted record 23
31.1% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

5 schools assessed
Achievement 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Attendance & behaviour 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Curriculum & teaching 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Inclusion 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Leadership & governance 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Personal development 5 assessed
Strong standard 4
Expected standard 1
Safeguarding 5 assessed
Met 5
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 11
Inadequate 2
Not judged 7
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
All Saints CofE Aided Infant School URN 125198 · GU10 2DA Primary 84 90 Renewed framework
Badshot Lea Village Infant School URN 125051 · GU9 9LE Primary 147 148 Not judged
Beacon Hill Primary School URN 151287 · GU26 6NR Primary 186 244 Ungraded inspection
Bramley CofE Infant School and Nursery URN 149994 · GU5 0HX Primary 113 90 Ungraded inspection
Busbridge CofE Aided Junior School URN 125186 · GU7 1XA Primary 240 240 Ungraded inspection
Busbridge Infant School URN 149037 · GU7 1PJ Primary 172 180 Not judged
Cranleigh Church of England Primary School URN 150368 · GU6 7AN Primary 182 330 Inadequate
Ewhurst CofE Aided Primary School URN 125181 · GU6 7PX Primary 46 90 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 134,284 2024
South East region 9,642,942
Waverley represents 1.39% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+8,593 residents ↑ 6.8%
2019: 125,691 residents2020: 126,260 residents2021: 128,880 residents2022: 130,327 residents2023: 132,749 residents2024: 134,284 residents
Waverley +6.8%
South East +4.9%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Waverley's population grew over five years. Its change was 2.0 percentage points above the South East and 2.6 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 Waverley?

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

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 7,684 5.7% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +13.2% +894 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +1.3% +101 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Waverley LOCAL AUTHORITY
5.7%
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
7,684 6,848 6,011
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
£14.95m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£11.99m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£16.83m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£5.99m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £111
Median for councils of the same type £166 32.8% below peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £9.42m · Income £1.78m
£7.64m
Planning and development Gross £8.66m · Income £2.76m
£5.90m
Culture and related services Gross £3.96m · Income £1.58m
£2.38m
Housing Gross £3.09m · Income £958.0k
£2.13m
Central services Gross £31.86m · Income £30.00m
£1.86m
Adult social care Gross £450.0k · Income £401.0k
£49.0k
Other services Gross £1.45m · Income £2.22m
£-772.0k
Highways and transport Gross £2.15m · Income £6.39m
£-4.24m
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£16.83m
Retained business rates£2.81m
Revenue Support Grant£121.0k
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £4.59m
Closing £5.99m
£1.39m 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
£130.51m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£88.90m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£41.61m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£310 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £310
Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 225.4% higher than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£2.55m quarterly increase
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement +£2.55m +6.5%
Change across the series −£43.56m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

Net debt increased despite borrowing not rising because investments and cash fell during the quarter.

BORROWING COMPOSITION

Where the borrowing sits

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

2026/27 Q1
Public Works Loan Board£130.51m
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
£11.70m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
97.72% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£271,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£146.72m 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
£11.70m
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 64.8%
+ £4.60m
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£7.10m 2021/22 £7.38m 2022/23 £8.66m 2023/24 £10.07m 2024/25 £11.70m 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.

£11.70m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £3.43m

29.3% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £8.27m

70.7% 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 97.72%

England average: 95.60%  ·  2.12 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 — Waverleymhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Waverleymhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Waverleymhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Waverley Borough Councildefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Waverleymhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Waverleymhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Waverleymhclg 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.