North West · Unitary authority

Westmorland and Furness

2026/27 view

Westmorland and Furness · ONS E06000064

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

64/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Mixed

Compared only with unitary authority councils using central government returns.

63 councils in peer group Rank 17 of 63 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover67
Debt burden82
Liquidity74
Debt direction3
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £113.22m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
+£16.50m 17.1%
Service expenditure £467.65m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£37.39m 8.7%
Unallocated reserves £19.97m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
−£2.50m 11.1%
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 £467.65m
8.7%
2023/24: £430.26m 2024/25: £467.65m
Net revenue expenditure £255.16m
13.8%
2023/24: £224.13m 2024/25: £255.16m
Council Tax requirement £167.82m
7.2%
2023/24: £156.61m 2024/25: £167.82m
Unallocated reserves £19.97m
11.1%
2023/24: £22.47m 2024/25: £19.97m
COUNCILMETRICS COMMUNITY SCORE Share your experience 0 of 25 responses collected before results are published
Score this council
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

How well are the roads being maintained?

Official DfT condition data, showing the share of each road class requiring maintenance investigation.

2024/25
Unclassified roads27.0%requiring maintenance investigation+2.0 pts vs 2023/24
Rank 119 / 130peer median 15.0%
A roads & motorways4.0%requiring maintenance investigation−0.0 pts vs 2023/24
Rank 58 / 149peer median 4.0%
B & C roads13.0%requiring maintenance investigation+3.0 pts vs 2023/24
Rank 119 / 133peer median 5.0%
A roads & motorways4.0% red
Good 71.0%Amber 26.0%Red 4.0%
B & C roads13.0% red
Good 47.0%Amber 41.0%Red 13.0%
ROAD CONDITION TREND

Red condition over time

Lower is better
2023/24: 4.0%2024/25: 4.0%2023/24: 10.0%2024/25: 13.0%2023/24: 25.0%2024/25: 27.0%
2023/242024/25
A roadsB & C roadsUnclassified
2024/25 MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY

Network treated during the year

A roads7.3%492 km network
B, C & unclassified3.3%3,564 km network
Strengthening0.0%Resurfacing1.9%Preservation5.4%
Official DfT road condition statistics · Lower red percentages indicate fewer roads requiring investigation.View source
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for Westmorland and Furness, with like-for-like comparison against unitary authorities.

2024/25
50.2%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

2.7 percentage points vs 2023/24
15 of 96 peer authorities Peer median 39.0%
Residual waste448.8 kgper household+25.3 kg year on year
Waste collected459.7 kgper resident−0.5 kg year on year
Household waste106,235tonnes collected53,333 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

53,333 t recycled, composted or reused 52,901 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

2 years of official data

50.2%
2023/24: 52.9%2024/25: 50.2%
2023/242024/25
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 Westmorland and Furness.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
161 Open schools
31,227 Pupils
38,395 School places
81.3% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Westmorland and Furness.

Attainment 8
45.0
North West 44.6
England 46.1
1.1 points below England
English & maths grade 5+
41.3%
North West 42.0%
England 45.4%
4.1 percentage points below England
EBacc entry
24.5%
North West 36.7%
England 40.5%
16.0 percentage points below England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

-0.14

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

46.1 22/23
45.5 23/24
45.0 24/25
Education context

Westmorland and Furness's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with North West and England.

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

Housing costs and local earnings

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

2025
Median house price
£239,975
+ 23.7% over five years
Median resident earnings
£41,859
+ 36.3% over five years
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Westmorland and Furness.

£812 / month
+ 6.5% in the last year
July 2026
Westmorland and Furness
£812
+ 6.5%
North West
£965
+ 5.7%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with North West £153 less per month
Compared with England £639 less per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

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

Westmorland and Furness
5.73×
North West
5.90×
England
7.64×
Compared with North West 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 received382this quarter+16 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided255this quarter−35 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
92.9%approved
Overall approval rate237 granted18 refused+0.9 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

91.0%
Rank 180 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

0.7 percentage points lower than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major1283.3%83.3% Minor5390.6%86.8% Other19094.2%92.6%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 3242024 Q3: 3042024 Q4: 3152025 Q1: 4262025 Q2: 3582025 Q3: 3482025 Q4: 3662026 Q1: 3822024 Q2: 2992024 Q3: 2922024 Q4: 2702025 Q1: 2742025 Q2: 3562025 Q3: 3032025 Q4: 2902026 Q1: 255
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

307%
Required752homes over three years
Delivered2,312homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for Westmorland and Furness, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 15,202 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate — council-wide rate not published
Annual change — change not available at council level
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
Westmorland and Furness Your council
—
North West Region
89.4 − 0.9%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%
OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Cumbria
Violence 6,787
Theft 2,928
Public order 1,585
Criminal damage 1,568
Shoplifting 1,021
Vehicle offences 277
Burglary 484
Drug offences 779
Figures are derived from the underlying Community Safety Partnership areas: Barrow-In-Furness, Eden, South Lakeland.
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 Westmorland and Furness.

161 schools
Open schools 161
Pupils 31,227
School places 38,395
Capacity used 81.3%
Primary 121 schools
15,514 pupils
Secondary 19 schools
13,318 pupils
Other / specialist 17 schools
1,690 pupils
Nursery 2 schools
197 pupils
16+ provision 1 school
0 pupils
All-through 1 school
508 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 21
13.0% of open schools
Previous full framework 69
42.9% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 57
35.4% of open schools
No Ofsted record 14
8.7% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

21 schools assessed
Achievement 21 assessed
Expected standard 12
Needs attention 8
Urgent improvement 1
Attendance & behaviour 21 assessed
Expected standard 11
Strong standard 7
Needs attention 3
Curriculum & teaching 21 assessed
Expected standard 12
Needs attention 9
Inclusion 21 assessed
Expected standard 12
Strong standard 6
Needs attention 3
Leadership & governance 21 assessed
Expected standard 13
Needs attention 5
Strong standard 2
Urgent improvement 1
Personal development 21 assessed
Expected standard 13
Strong standard 8
Safeguarding 21 assessed
Met 21
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 40
Requires improvement 2
Inadequate 1
Not judged 23
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
Allithwaite CofE Primary School URN 112282 · LA11 7RD Primary 109 116 Ungraded inspection
Alston Primary School URN 112101 · CA9 3QU Primary 88 105 Not judged
Ambleside CofE Primary School URN 141978 · LA22 9DH Primary 52 140 Requires improvement
Appleby Primary School URN 112408 · CA16 6TX Primary 163 294 Good
Armathwaite School URN 112102 · CA4 9PW Primary 64 80 Ungraded inspection
Arnside National CofE School URN 137686 · LA5 0DW Primary 95 168 Good
Asby Endowed School URN 112267 · CA16 6EX Primary 20 42 Ungraded inspection
Askam Village School URN 112409 · LA16 7DA Primary 187 203 Good
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 230,185 2024
North West region 7,737,414
Westmorland and Furness represents 2.97% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+4,023 residents ↑ 1.8%
2019: 226,162 residents2020: 225,995 residents2021: 226,941 residents2022: 227,732 residents2023: 228,646 residents2024: 230,185 residents
Westmorland and Furness +1.8%
North West +5.1%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Westmorland and Furness's population grew over five years. Its change was 3.3 percentage points below the North West and 2.5 percentage points below England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates
Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile
PUBLIC HEALTH

How healthy are people in Westmorland and Furness?

Life expectancy, early mortality, lifestyle and prevention measures from the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

OHID · latest available
LIFE EXPECTANCY

How does Westmorland and Furness compare with England?

Latest published life expectancy at birth, shown against the matching England figure.

2025
Male 80.7 years
0.7 years higher than England
England 80.0
Female 84.4 years
0.6 years higher than England
England 83.8
HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY

Years expected in good health

Healthy life expectancy is considerably different from total life expectancy: it estimates how many years are expected to be lived in good health.

Male
62.8
1.9 year s above England
England 60.9
Female
64.4
3.1 year s above England
England 61.3
2022 - 24
EARLY MORTALITY

Deaths and premature mortality

Age-standardised mortality rates and the latest published suicide rate.

Preventable mortality 2024
125.4 per 100,000
England 145.8
Better
Cardiovascular disease 2025
57.6 per 100,000
England 71.5
Better
Cancer 2025
96.5 per 100,000
England 114.6
Better
Liver disease 2025
19.5 per 100,000
England 19.4
Similar
Respiratory disease 2025
31.1 per 100,000
England 31.5
Similar
Suicide rate 2022 - 24
14.8 per 100,000
England 10.9
Worse
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Behaviours and health risks

Smoking, excess weight, physical activity and alcohol-related harm.

Adults overweight or obese 2024/25
Westmorland and Furness 58.6% England 68.0%
Better
Physically active adults 2024/25
Westmorland and Furness 75.5% England 64.6%
Better
Alcohol-related admissions 2023/24
Westmorland and Furness 473.9 England 504.1
Rate per 100,000 Better
CHILDREN & PREVENTION

Prevention and healthy development

Child health, physical activity, vaccination and screening coverage.

Reception overweight or obese 2024/25
24.6%
Westmorland and Furness 24.6% England 23.5%
Council compared with England Similar
Year 6 overweight or obese 2024/25
33.3%
Westmorland and Furness 33.3% England 36.2%
Council compared with England Better
Physically active children 2024/25
38.6%
Westmorland and Furness 38.6% England 49.1%
Council compared with England Worse
MMR two-dose coverage 2024/25
No current data
No current published value
Council compared with England Not compared
Bowel cancer screening 2025
79.2%
Westmorland and Furness 79.2% England 72.9%
Council compared with England Better
WIDER HEALTH

Other measures affecting population health

Selected wider indicators that help describe health and wellbeing across the area.

Dementia diagnosis rate 2026
58.1 per 100
England 66.3 per 100 Worse
Air pollution mortality 2024
3.6%
England 5.3% Not compared
Latest available measures can cover different reporting periods. England comparison is the classification published with the OHID measure. Public Health Outcomes Framework
BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in Westmorland and Furness?

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

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 18,027 7.8% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +7.7% +1,296 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE -0.1% -17 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Westmorland and Furness LOCAL AUTHORITY
7.8%
North West REGION
14.0%
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
18,217 16,696 15,175
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
AIR QUALITY

How clean is the air?

Long-term particulate pollution across the council area, alongside measurements from local UK-AIR monitoring stations.

POPULATION-WEIGHTED ANNUAL MEAN

Fine particulate matter

No annual PM2.5 estimate is currently available.
LONG-TERM TREND

PM2.5 over time

Not enough annual data is available to show a trend.
CURRENT MONITORING

Latest station measurement

UK-AIR
No active UK-AIR monitoring station is currently mapped to this council.
HEALTH IMPACT

Particulate air pollution

3.6% of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution
2024 Not compared

This OHID measure estimates the mortality burden associated with particulate air pollution. It is a health-impact measure, not a pollution concentration.

Annual PM2.5 is Defra Pollution Climate Mapping data. Monitoring readings are station-specific UK-AIR measurements and may be provisional.
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
£467.65m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£255.16m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£167.82m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£19.97m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £2,032
Median for councils of the same type £1,777 14.3% above peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Education Gross £206.44m · Income £12.79m
£193.64m
Adult social care Gross £163.05m · Income £46.88m
£116.17m
Children's social care Gross £64.14m · Income £11.55m
£52.59m
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £48.23m · Income £5.94m
£42.29m
Highways and transport Gross £30.76m · Income £11.75m
£19.01m
Planning and development Gross £19.45m · Income £3.52m
£15.93m
Culture and related services Gross £14.78m · Income £3.01m
£11.77m
Public health Gross £10.19m · Income £1.68m
£8.51m
Housing Gross £5.10m · Income £1.53m
£3.57m
Other services Gross £2.41m · Income £74.0k
£2.33m
Central services Gross £3.26m · Income £1.41m
£1.85m
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£167.82m
Retained business rates£61.88m
Revenue Support Grant£9.01m
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £22.47m
Closing £19.97m
£2.50m decrease 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
£176.28m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£63.06m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£113.22m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£492 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £492
Median for unitary authority councils £1,104 55.4% lower than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2023/24 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£16.50m quarterly increase
2023/24 Q12023/24 Q42024/25 Q32025/26 Q22026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement +£16.50m +17.1%
Change across the series +£77.87m Net debt since 2023/24 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£163.28m
Other longer-term borrowing£13.00m
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
£19.95m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
96.50% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£467,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£220.48m 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

A full five-year comparison is not available for this authority. This may be due to local government reorganisation.

£13.99m 2023/24 £16.45m 2024/25 £19.95m 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.

£19.95m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £8.31m

41.7% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £11.64m

58.3% 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 96.50%

England average: 95.60%  ·  0.90 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

22 imported
DocumentDatasetPeriodStatusOfficial source
Housing Delivery Test 2025 results — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg planning ps22023 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg planning ps12023 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
DfT road condition statistics — Westmorland and Furness [note 10]dft local road condition2023/24–2024/25importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Westmorland and Furness Councildefra local authority waste2023/24–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Westmorland and Furnessmhclg 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.