Bolton: spending, reserves and debt
Bolton is a metropolitan borough council in the North West with about 309,732 residents (ONS, mid-2025).
Key figures
What the figures show
MHCLG records net spending on services of £663.3 million by Bolton in 2025-26; education was the biggest single service, at 47% of the services that cost money.
In cash terms the total was 9.6% higher than in 2024-25, and 68% higher than the £395.6 million of 2017-18.
At 31 March 2026 the council held £160.5 million in unallocated and earmarked reserves (£16.0 million unallocated, £144.5 million earmarked for set purposes), excluding schools and public health reserves. That is £2.8 million less than a year earlier (-2%). The peak in this series was £171.6 million at 31 March 2021.
Outstanding borrowing was £158.0 million at 31 March 2026, from the MHCLG borrowing and investment table, against investments of £167.4 million. That is below the £371.3 million recorded at 31 March 2010. The latest quarter, to 30 June 2026, shows £148.0 million.
That is £510 for each resident, dividing the borrowing figure by the ONS mid-2025 population estimate (309,732), the lowest of the 23 unitary, metropolitan and London borough councils in the North West with money pages here.
For 2026-27, the average Band D bill in the area is £2,399.74, +5.9% on 2025-26 and 4.0 times the £596.25 of 1993-94. On the statutory proportions that means £1,599.83 in Band A and £4,799.48 in Band H.
Bolton spending by service, 2025-26
| Service | Net spending, 2025-26 | Share of services that cost money | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | £310.0 million | 46.7% | £1,000.97 |
| Adult social care | £137.3 million | 20.7% | £443.17 |
| Children's social care | £109.2 million | 16.5% | £352.42 |
| Public health | £21.8 million | 3.3% | £70.38 |
| Environment and regulation (including waste) | £18.4 million | 2.8% | £59.25 |
| Central services | £15.9 million | 2.4% | £51.40 |
| Culture and leisure | £13.1 million | 2.0% | £42.27 |
| Housing (not council housing) | £11.0 million | 1.7% | £35.39 |
| Other services | £10.7 million | 1.6% | £34.62 |
| Planning and development | £8.9 million | 1.3% | £28.76 |
| Highways and transport | £7.1 million | 1.1% | £22.78 |
| Total | £663.3 million | £2,141.41 |
History
Bolton: net spending by year
| Year | Net spending |
|---|---|
| 2017-18 | £395.6 million |
| 2018-19 | £404.1 million |
| 2019-20 | £426.7 million |
| 2020-21 | £444.2 million |
| 2021-22 | £464.9 million |
| 2022-23 | £496.5 million |
| 2023-24 | £543.2 million |
| 2024-25 | £605.0 million |
| 2025-26 | £663.3 million |
Bolton: reserves at 31 March
| Date | Reserves |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £98.5 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £101.8 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £94.6 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £171.6 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £148.2 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £138.2 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £158.3 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £163.2 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £160.5 million |
Bolton: borrowing and investments
| Date | Borrowing | Investments |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2010 | £371.3 million | £45.3 million |
| 31 March 2011 | £77.3 million | £56.3 million |
| 31 March 2012 | £90.3 million | £104.2 million |
| 31 March 2013 | £90.3 million | £110.3 million |
| 31 March 2014 | £90.3 million | £117.2 million |
| 31 March 2015 | £83.3 million | £126.0 million |
| 31 March 2016 | £82.3 million | £112.7 million |
| 31 March 2017 | £89.3 million | £86.0 million |
| 31 March 2018 | £178.3 million | £175.3 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £188.3 million | £140.9 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £178.0 million | £126.4 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £178.0 million | £133.1 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £178.0 million | £185.3 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £168.0 million | £183.7 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £188.0 million | £208.0 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £158.0 million | £170.7 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £158.0 million | £167.4 million |
Bolton: Band D by year
| Year | Area Band D | Council's own Band D |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | £596.25 | not published |
| 1994-95 | £652.50 | not published |
| 1995-96 | £684.00 | not published |
| 1996-97 | £735.60 | £661.95 |
| 1997-98 | £786.56 | £702.81 |
| 1998-99 | £848.54 | £761.82 |
| 1999-00 | £888.53 | £796.35 |
| 2000-01 | £927.87 | £832.02 |
| 2001-02 | £981.68 | £882.53 |
| 2002-03 | £1,030.68 | £925.71 |
| 2003-04 | £1,118.32 | £983.10 |
| 2004-05 | £1,162.02 | £1,017.18 |
| 2005-06 | £1,216.02 | £1,061.77 |
| 2006-07 | £1,275.31 | £1,114.00 |
| 2007-08 | £1,321.45 | £1,152.99 |
| 2008-09 | £1,332.11 | £1,152.99 |
| 2009-10 | £1,388.14 | £1,197.96 |
| 2010-11 | £1,414.36 | £1,212.85 |
| 2011-12 | £1,414.21 | £1,212.85 |
| 2012-13 | £1,414.19 | £1,212.85 |
| 2013-14 | £1,464.49 | £1,252.27 |
| 2014-15 | £1,491.77 | £1,276.56 |
| 2015-16 | £1,491.78 | £1,276.56 |
| 2016-17 | £1,542.52 | £1,321.24 |
| 2017-18 | £1,612.15 | £1,384.66 |
| 2018-19 | £1,701.24 | £1,453.75 |
| 2019-20 | £1,767.03 | £1,486.46 |
| 2020-21 | £1,820.96 | £1,516.17 |
| 2021-22 | £1,888.62 | £1,573.79 |
| 2022-23 | £1,959.66 | £1,622.89 |
| 2023-24 | £2,044.63 | £1,687.64 |
| 2024-25 | £2,147.47 | £1,771.84 |
| 2025-26 | £2,266.53 | £1,860.26 |
| 2026-27 | £2,399.74 | £1,953.08 |
Bolton figures as CSV · What each figure measures
Bolton council tax bands, 2026-27
Worked out from Band D (£2,399.74) at the proportions in section 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; area averages.
| Band | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Band A | £1,599.83 |
| Band B | £1,866.46 |
| Band C | £2,133.10 |
| Band D | £2,399.74 |
| Band E | £2,933.02 |
| Band F | £3,466.29 |
| Band G | £3,999.57 |
| Band H | £4,799.48 |
Who has power over Bolton
Every body that makes decisions for Bolton, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Bolton council this page
- Bolton in official figures population, pay, house prices, crime
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Bolton North East: Kirith Entwistle (Labour) MP
- Bolton South and Walkden: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour) MP
- Bolton West: Phil Brickell (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
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 Bolton
Figures checked 15 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.