West of England Combined Authority: spending, reserves and debt
West of England Combined Authority is a combined authority covering about 1,004,945 people across 3 member council areas.
Key figures
What the figures show
At 31 March 2026 the authority held £48.8 million in unallocated and earmarked reserves (£9.6 million unallocated, £39.3 million earmarked for set purposes), excluding schools and public health reserves. Over the year to 31 March 2026 reserves rose by £18.3 million. It is the highest year-end figure since the series began in 2018.
MHCLG records net spending on services of £123.3 million by West of England Combined Authority in 2025-26; highways and transport was the biggest single service, at 44% of the services that cost money.
In cash terms that is 1.3% more than in 2024-25; in 2017-18, its first year in this series, the figure was £20.5 million.
MHCLG's borrowing and investment table shows no outstanding borrowing at 31 March 2026, against investments of £452.6 million.
West of England Combined Authority spending by service, 2025-26
| Service | Net spending, 2025-26 | Share of services that cost money | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highways and transport | £54.5 million | 44.2% | £54.20 |
| Education | £33.4 million | 27.1% | £33.25 |
| Planning and development | £19.5 million | 15.8% | £19.45 |
| Central services | £11.9 million | 9.6% | £11.81 |
| Environment and regulation (including waste) | £2.1 million | 1.7% | £2.04 |
| Culture and leisure | £1.9 million | 1.5% | £1.88 |
| Housing (not council housing) | £99,000 | 0.1% | £0.10 |
| Total | £123.3 million | £122.73 |
History
West of England Combined Authority: net spending by year
| Year | Net spending |
|---|---|
| 2017-18 | £20.5 million |
| 2018-19 | £22.2 million |
| 2019-20 | £33.0 million |
| 2020-21 | £56.1 million |
| 2021-22 | £71.2 million |
| 2022-23 | £83.7 million |
| 2023-24 | £95.4 million |
| 2024-25 | £121.8 million |
| 2025-26 | £123.3 million |
West of England Combined Authority: reserves at 31 March
| Date | Reserves |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £1.7 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £5.0 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £6.5 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £7.7 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £12.0 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £10.3 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £18.8 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £30.6 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £48.8 million |
West of England Combined Authority: borrowing and investments
| Date | Borrowing | Investments |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £0 | £127.8 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £0 | £169.6 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £15.0 million | £178.8 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £20.0 million | £279.4 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £0 | £281.2 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £25.0 million | £354.8 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £0 | £381.6 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £0 | £445.3 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £0 | £452.6 million |
West of England Combined Authority figures as CSV · What each figure measures
Councils above and below
- Councils in its area: Bath and North East Somerset · Bristol, City of · South Gloucestershire
Where West of England Combined Authority sits in the ladder of power
The bodies above West of England Combined Authority and the council areas it serves. How the ten levels work.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- West of England 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 · ONS population, mid-2025. Read 15 October 2026; file fingerprints (SHA-256) are listed on the council money page.
More on West of England Combined Authority
Figures checked 15 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.