South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: spending, reserves and debt
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is a mayoral combined authority covering about 1,434,478 people across 4 member council areas.
Key figures
What the figures show
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority spent £193.3 million on services in 2025-26, MHCLG reports. The largest item was highways and transport at £79.4 million, followed by education at £70.4 million.
In cash terms that is 20.8% more than in 2024-25; in 2017-18, its first year in this series, the figure was £47.9 million.
At 31 March 2026 the authority held £143.7 million in unallocated and earmarked reserves (£5.0 million unallocated, £138.6 million earmarked for set purposes), excluding schools and public health reserves. That is £9.0 million more than a year earlier (+7%). It is the highest year-end figure since the series began in 2018.
MHCLG's borrowing and investment table shows £66.0 million of outstanding borrowing at 31 March 2026, against investments of £556.2 million. Borrowing is 2.6 times its level at 31 March 2018 (£25.0 million). The latest quarter, to 30 June 2026, shows £66.0 million.
Divided by the ONS mid-2025 population estimate of 1,434,478, borrowing comes to £46 per resident, 6th highest of the 14 combined authorities in England with money pages here.
For 2026-27, this authority's Band D precept is £280.04, +5.7% on 2025-26. On the statutory proportions that means £186.69 in Band A and £560.08 in Band H.
GOV.UK lists South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority among councils given Exceptional Financial Support in 2025-26 and 2026-27; the amounts as published are in the table below.
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority spending by service, 2025-26
| Service | Net spending, 2025-26 | Share of services that cost money | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highways and transport | £79.4 million | 41.1% | £55.33 |
| Education | £70.4 million | 36.4% | £49.07 |
| Planning and development | £36.2 million | 18.7% | £25.26 |
| Culture and leisure | £2.7 million | 1.4% | £1.91 |
| Adult social care | £1.7 million | 0.9% | £1.20 |
| Environment and regulation (including waste) | £1.2 million | 0.6% | £0.84 |
| Central services | £1.1 million | 0.6% | £0.80 |
| Housing (not council housing) | £469,000 | 0.2% | £0.33 |
| Total | £193.3 million | £134.73 |
History
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: net spending by year
| Year | Net spending |
|---|---|
| 2017-18 | £47.9 million |
| 2018-19 | £50.1 million |
| 2019-20 | £49.7 million |
| 2020-21 | £65.7 million |
| 2021-22 | £98.2 million |
| 2022-23 | £129.1 million |
| 2023-24 | £140.3 million |
| 2024-25 | £160.0 million |
| 2025-26 | £193.3 million |
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: reserves at 31 March
| Date | Reserves |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £42.6 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £42.6 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £40.5 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £52.0 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £90.6 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £99.1 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £113.5 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £134.6 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £143.7 million |
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: borrowing and investments
| Date | Borrowing | Investments |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £25.0 million | £233.1 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £186.4 million | £204.4 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £186.4 million | £217.5 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £133.4 million | £289.6 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £125.4 million | £371.8 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £117.4 million | £439.8 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £47.0 million | £416.7 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £70.8 million | £518.7 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £66.0 million | £556.2 million |
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: Band D by year
| Year | Band D |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £265.04 |
| 2026-27 | £280.04 |
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority figures as CSV · What each figure measures
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority council tax bands, 2026-27
Worked out from Band D (£280.04) at the proportions in section 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; this authority's share only.
| Band | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Band A | £186.69 |
| Band B | £217.81 |
| Band C | £248.92 |
| Band D | £280.04 |
| Band E | £342.27 |
| Band F | £404.50 |
| Band G | £466.73 |
| Band H | £560.08 |
MHCLG lists these elements of the precept separately: South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority - Police £280.04 (2026-27); South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority - General Functions £0.00 (2026-27).
Section 114 notices and Exceptional Financial Support
GOV.UK publishes a page for each year listing the councils given Exceptional Financial Support (permission to use capital money or borrowing to meet day-to-day costs). South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority appears in these years, with the wording as published:
| Year | As published on GOV.UK |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £17.0m (support agreed for 2024-25) |
| 2026-27 | £6.6m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26) |
Councils above and below
Where South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority sits in the ladder of power
The bodies above South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the council areas it serves. How the ten levels work.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority this page
Level 6: National government
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government the UK government department responsible in England
- UK government and Parliament
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
MHCLG revenue outturn · MHCLG borrowing and investment table · MHCLG Band D table · ONS population, mid-2025. Read 15 October 2026; file fingerprints (SHA-256) are listed on the council money page.
More on South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Figures checked 15 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.