State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

Inverclyde: spending, reserves and debt

Inverclyde is one of Scotland's 32 councils, with an estimated 78,550 residents in mid-2025.

Key figures

Net spending on services, 2024-25
£232.1 million
Reserves, 31 March 2025
£47.2 million
usable reserves · Scottish Government
Borrowing, 31 March 2026
£179.8 million
outstanding · £2,288 per resident · MHCLG
Investments, 31 March 2026
£12.4 million
outstanding · MHCLG
Band D, 2026-27
£1,673.85
set by the council · Scottish
Population, mid-2025
78,550

What the figures show

The Scottish Government records net spending on services of £232.1 million by Inverclyde in 2024-25; education was the biggest single service, at 49% of the services that cost money.

Usable reserves stood at £47.2 million at 31 March 2025, of which £35.3 million was in the general fund, according to the Scottish Government's finance statistics. That is £480,000 less than a year earlier (-1%). The peak in this series was £60.4 million at 31 March 2017.

MHCLG's borrowing and investment table shows £179.8 million of outstanding borrowing at 31 March 2026, against investments of £12.4 million. That is below the £183.7 million recorded at 31 March 2010. The latest quarter, to 30 June 2026, shows £174.7 million.

That is £2,288 for each resident, dividing the borrowing figure by the ONS mid-2025 population estimate (78,550), 25th highest of the 32 councils in Scotland with money pages here.

For 2026-27, the council's Band D charge is £1,673.85, +7.9% on 2025-26 and 2.2 times the £762.00 of 1996-97. The Scottish Government's band table puts Band A at £1,115.90 and Band H at £4,100.93.

Inverclyde spending by service, 2024-25

ServiceNet spending, 2024-25Share of services that cost moneyPer resident
Education£113.2 million48.8%£1,441.51
Social work (adults and children)£66.8 million28.8%£850.30
Housing (not council housing)£11.6 million5.0%£147.63
Central services£10.9 million4.7%£138.51
Environmental services (including waste)£10.4 million4.5%£132.57
Culture and leisure£8.2 million3.5%£104.44
Building, planning and development£6.1 million2.6%£78.14
Roads and transport£4.9 million2.1%£62.23
Trading services−£38,000net income£-0.48
Total£232.1 million£2,954.84
£60.4 million£0 Mar 2017Mar 2025
Inverclyde reserves, 31 March 2017 to 31 March 2025.
£224.4 million£0 Mar 2010Mar 2026
Inverclyde borrowing, 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2026.
£1,674£0 1996-972026-27
Inverclyde Band D, 1996-97 to 2026-27.

History

Inverclyde: reserves at 31 March
DateReserves
31 March 2017£60.4 million
31 March 2018£51.9 million
31 March 2019£45.0 million
31 March 2020£46.7 million
31 March 2021£53.4 million
31 March 2022£48.1 million
31 March 2023£37.5 million
31 March 2024£47.7 million
31 March 2025£47.2 million
Inverclyde: borrowing and investments
DateBorrowingInvestments
31 March 2010£183.7 million£44.9 million
31 March 2011£198.7 million£68.9 million
31 March 2012£194.6 million£59.9 million
31 March 2013£224.4 million£68.0 million
31 March 2014£220.1 million£48.9 million
31 March 2015£214.3 million£45.6 million
31 March 2016£213.2 million£52.3 million
31 March 2017£208.0 million£39.6 million
31 March 2018£207.4 million£34.1 million
31 March 2019£196.9 million£19.6 million
31 March 2020£213.7 million£30.3 million
31 March 2021£198.8 million£40.6 million
31 March 2022£188.9 million£35.0 million
31 March 2023£184.2 million£26.8 million
31 March 2024£181.3 million£7.1 million
31 March 2025£173.7 million£5.9 million
31 March 2026£179.8 million£12.4 million
Inverclyde: Band D by year
YearBand D
1996-97£762.00
1997-98£831.00
1998-99£863.00
1999-00£888.00
2000-01£933.00
2001-02£1,012.00
2002-03£1,062.00
2003-04£1,089.00
2004-05£1,143.00
2005-06£1,176.00
2006-07£1,206.00
2007-08£1,198.00
2008-09£1,198.00
2009-10£1,198.00
2010-11£1,198.00
2011-12£1,198.00
2012-13£1,198.00
2013-14£1,198.00
2014-15£1,198.00
2015-16£1,198.00
2016-17£1,198.00
2017-18£1,198.00
2018-19£1,233.94
2019-20£1,293.05
2020-21£1,331.84
2021-22£1,331.84
2022-23£1,357.81
2023-24£1,429.77
2024-25£1,547.01
2025-26£1,551.30
2026-27£1,673.85

Inverclyde figures as CSV · What each figure measures

Inverclyde council tax bands, 2026-27

As published by the Scottish Government (council tax by band).

BandAnnual amount
Band A£1,115.90
Band B£1,301.88
Band C£1,487.87
Band D£1,673.85
Band E£2,199.25
Band F£2,720.01
Band G£3,277.96
Band H£4,100.93

Who has power over Inverclyde

Every body that makes decisions for Inverclyde, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.

  1. Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power

    Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.

  2. Level 2: Parish, town and community councils

    Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.

  3. Level 3: Local councils

  4. Level 5: Devolved and state governments

    • Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government makes law for Scotland on devolved subjects
  5. Level 6: National government

  6. Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies

  7. Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies

  8. 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.
  9. Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums

    • G7 The UK is one of the seven members.
    • G20 The UK is a G20 member.

Sources

Scottish Government finance statistics (spending) · Scottish Government finance statistics (reserves) · MHCLG borrowing and investment table · Scottish Government Band D table · council tax by band · ONS population, mid-2025. Read 15 October 2026; file fingerprints (SHA-256) are listed on the council money page.

More on Inverclyde

Figures checked 15 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.