Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: spending, reserves and debt
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is a unitary authority in the South West with about 405,829 residents (ONS, mid-2025).
Key figures
What the figures show
MHCLG records net spending on services of £718.2 million by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in 2025-26; education was the biggest single service, at 34% of the services that cost money.
That is up 11.2% on 2024-25 and up 69% on 2019-20, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation).
At 31 March 2026 the council held £79.6 million in unallocated and earmarked reserves (£29.3 million unallocated, £50.3 million earmarked for set purposes), excluding schools and public health reserves. Over the year to 31 March 2026 reserves fell by £5.8 million. The peak in this series was £172.1 million at 31 March 2021.
Outstanding borrowing was £434.1 million at 31 March 2026, from the MHCLG borrowing and investment table, against investments of £5.0 million. At 31 March 2020 it was £261.2 million. The latest quarter, to 30 June 2026, shows £455.9 million.
Divided by the ONS mid-2025 population estimate of 405,829, borrowing comes to £1,070 per resident, 8th highest of the 13 unitary, metropolitan and London borough councils in the South West with money pages here.
For 2026-27, the average Band D bill in the area is £2,435.58, +7.5% on 2025-26. On the statutory proportions that means £1,623.72 in Band A and £4,871.16 in Band H.
GOV.UK lists Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole among councils given Exceptional Financial Support in 2022-23; the amounts as published are in the table below.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole spending by service, 2025-26
| Service | Net spending, 2025-26 | Share of services that cost money | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | £244.1 million | 34.0% | £601.42 |
| Adult social care | £201.4 million | 28.0% | £496.35 |
| Children's social care | £122.5 million | 17.1% | £301.75 |
| Environment and regulation (including waste) | £46.4 million | 6.5% | £114.35 |
| Public health | £22.8 million | 3.2% | £56.12 |
| Central services | £20.1 million | 2.8% | £49.65 |
| Housing (not council housing) | £18.1 million | 2.5% | £44.56 |
| Culture and leisure | £17.9 million | 2.5% | £44.18 |
| Planning and development | £14.0 million | 1.9% | £34.48 |
| Highways and transport | £10.9 million | 1.5% | £26.88 |
| Total | £718.2 million | £1,769.72 |
History
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: net spending by year
| Year | Net spending |
|---|---|
| 2019-20 | £425.1 million |
| 2020-21 | £466.2 million |
| 2021-22 | £497.0 million |
| 2022-23 | £537.9 million |
| 2023-24 | £593.5 million |
| 2024-25 | £645.6 million |
| 2025-26 | £718.2 million |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: reserves at 31 March
| Date | Reserves |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2020 | £84.1 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £172.1 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £132.7 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £88.7 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £66.1 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £85.4 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £79.6 million |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: borrowing and investments
| Date | Borrowing | Investments |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2020 | £261.2 million | £84.1 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £194.5 million | £56.9 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £256.8 million | £150.0 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £272.9 million | £35.4 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £294.8 million | £28.7 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £371.0 million | £2.6 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £434.1 million | £5.0 million |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: Band D by year
| Year | Area Band D | Council's own Band D |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | £1,787.81 | £1,478.52 |
| 2020-21 | £1,841.77 | £1,518.05 |
| 2021-22 | £1,882.11 | £1,541.57 |
| 2022-23 | £1,955.24 | £1,603.23 |
| 2023-24 | £2,055.34 | £1,683.23 |
| 2024-25 | £2,157.20 | £1,767.22 |
| 2025-26 | £2,264.78 | £1,855.41 |
| 2026-27 | £2,435.58 | £1,980.46 |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figures as CSV · What each figure measures
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council tax bands, 2026-27
Worked out from Band D (£2,435.58) at the proportions in section 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; area averages.
| Band | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Band A | £1,623.72 |
| Band B | £1,894.34 |
| Band C | £2,164.96 |
| Band D | £2,435.58 |
| Band E | £2,976.82 |
| Band F | £3,518.06 |
| Band G | £4,059.30 |
| Band H | £4,871.16 |
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). Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole appears in these years, with the wording as published:
| Year | As published on GOV.UK |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Council provided with in-principle support but withdrew its request |
Who has power over Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Every body that makes decisions for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 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
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council this page
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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
- Bournemouth East: Tom Hayes (Labour) MP
- Bournemouth West: Jessica Toale (Labour) MP
- Christchurch: Sir Christopher Chope (Conservative) MP
- Mid Dorset and North Poole: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat) MP
- Poole: Neil Duncan-Jordan (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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: local statistics
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- Can I inspect my council's accounts?
Figures checked 15 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.