Luton: spending, reserves and debt
Luton is a unitary authority in the East of England with about 236,380 residents (ONS, mid-2025).
Key figures
What the figures show
Outstanding borrowing was £796.6 million at 31 March 2026, from the MHCLG borrowing and investment table, against investments of £607.2 million. Borrowing is 4.7 times its level at 31 March 2010 (£171.3 million). The latest quarter, to 30 June 2026, shows £819.1 million.
That is £3,370 for each resident, dividing the borrowing figure by the ONS mid-2025 population estimate (236,380), the 2nd highest of the 6 unitary, metropolitan and London borough councils in the East of England with money pages here.
Luton spent £516.1 million on services in 2025-26, MHCLG reports. The largest item was education at £234.9 million, followed by adult social care at £91.2 million.
That is up 8.7% on 2024-25 and up 48% on 2017-18, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation).
At 31 March 2026 the council held £116.3 million in unallocated and earmarked reserves (£17.2 million unallocated, £99.0 million earmarked for set purposes), excluding schools and public health reserves. Over the year to 31 March 2026 reserves rose by £11.9 million. It is the highest year-end figure since the series began in 2018.
For 2026-27, the average Band D bill in the area is £2,439.93, +5.1% on 2025-26 and 4.8 times the £511.88 of 1993-94. On the statutory proportions that means £1,626.62 in Band A and £4,879.86 in Band H.
GOV.UK lists Luton among councils given Exceptional Financial Support in 2020-21 and 2021-22; the amounts as published are in the table below.
Luton spending by service, 2025-26
| Service | Net spending, 2025-26 | Share of services that cost money | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | £234.9 million | 45.5% | £993.87 |
| Adult social care | £91.2 million | 17.7% | £385.84 |
| Children's social care | £79.2 million | 15.3% | £335.00 |
| Environment and regulation (including waste) | £24.4 million | 4.7% | £103.19 |
| Housing (not council housing) | £21.7 million | 4.2% | £91.86 |
| Public health | £20.0 million | 3.9% | £84.66 |
| Central services | £16.1 million | 3.1% | £67.94 |
| Highways and transport | £15.2 million | 2.9% | £64.33 |
| Culture and leisure | £7.8 million | 1.5% | £32.94 |
| Planning and development | £5.6 million | 1.1% | £23.57 |
| Total | £516.1 million | £2,183.21 |
History
Luton: net spending by year
| Year | Net spending |
|---|---|
| 2017-18 | £349.0 million |
| 2018-19 | £359.5 million |
| 2019-20 | £366.5 million |
| 2020-21 | £382.2 million |
| 2021-22 | £393.6 million |
| 2022-23 | £408.8 million |
| 2023-24 | £433.8 million |
| 2024-25 | £474.8 million |
| 2025-26 | £516.1 million |
Luton: reserves at 31 March
| Date | Reserves |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2018 | £59.9 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £69.3 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £77.1 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £103.5 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £115.9 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £107.3 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £109.4 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £104.4 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £116.3 million |
Luton: borrowing and investments
| Date | Borrowing | Investments |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2010 | £171.3 million | £75.0 million |
| 31 March 2011 | £213.8 million | £162.5 million |
| 31 March 2012 | £293.2 million | £146.0 million |
| 31 March 2013 | £293.2 million | £150.3 million |
| 31 March 2014 | £293.2 million | £178.1 million |
| 31 March 2015 | £295.4 million | £176.4 million |
| 31 March 2016 | £270.7 million | £135.3 million |
| 31 March 2017 | £270.7 million | £133.9 million |
| 31 March 2018 | £274.8 million | £126.6 million |
| 31 March 2019 | £388.3 million | £204.9 million |
| 31 March 2020 | £500.3 million | £344.2 million |
| 31 March 2021 | £582.3 million | £463.2 million |
| 31 March 2022 | £677.2 million | £527.7 million |
| 31 March 2023 | £750.2 million | £628.8 million |
| 31 March 2024 | £722.2 million | £595.6 million |
| 31 March 2025 | £760.9 million | £609.6 million |
| 31 March 2026 | £796.6 million | £607.2 million |
Luton: Band D by year
| Year | Area Band D | Council's own Band D |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | £511.88 | not published |
| 1994-95 | £668.25 | not published |
| 1995-96 | £610.88 | not published |
| 1996-97 | £650.64 | not published |
| 1997-98 | £602.27 | £549.76 |
| 1998-99 | £653.98 | £598.14 |
| 1999-00 | £706.81 | £645.45 |
| 2000-01 | £760.81 | £693.83 |
| 2001-02 | £805.14 | £734.88 |
| 2002-03 | £921.96 | £843.27 |
| 2003-04 | £989.87 | £896.43 |
| 2004-05 | £1,073.35 | £896.43 |
| 2005-06 | £1,121.54 | £940.71 |
| 2006-07 | £1,176.91 | £987.18 |
| 2007-08 | £1,233.91 | £1,034.88 |
| 2008-09 | £1,293.29 | £1,079.17 |
| 2009-10 | £1,344.31 | £1,122.12 |
| 2010-11 | £1,371.10 | £1,143.89 |
| 2011-12 | £1,371.10 | £1,143.89 |
| 2012-13 | £1,417.82 | £1,183.24 |
| 2013-14 | £1,446.16 | £1,206.90 |
| 2014-15 | £1,469.03 | £1,225.00 |
| 2015-16 | £1,492.27 | £1,243.38 |
| 2016-17 | £1,546.34 | £1,292.49 |
| 2017-18 | £1,614.88 | £1,355.98 |
| 2018-19 | £1,708.98 | £1,435.30 |
| 2019-20 | £1,778.76 | £1,478.22 |
| 2020-21 | £1,849.70 | £1,537.20 |
| 2021-22 | £1,943.41 | £1,613.91 |
| 2022-23 | £2,003.71 | £1,662.17 |
| 2023-24 | £2,106.64 | £1,745.10 |
| 2024-25 | £2,210.00 | £1,832.19 |
| 2025-26 | £2,320.43 | £1,923.62 |
| 2026-27 | £2,439.93 | £2,019.62 |
Luton figures as CSV · What each figure measures
Luton council tax bands, 2026-27
Worked out from Band D (£2,439.93) at the proportions in section 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; area averages.
| Band | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Band A | £1,626.62 |
| Band B | £1,897.72 |
| Band C | £2,168.83 |
| Band D | £2,439.93 |
| Band E | £2,982.14 |
| Band F | £3,524.34 |
| Band G | £4,066.55 |
| Band H | £4,879.86 |
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). Luton appears in these years, with the wording as published:
| Year | As published on GOV.UK |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | £35.0m |
| 2021-22 | Council provided with in-principle support but withdrew its request |
Who has power over Luton
Every body that makes decisions for Luton, 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
- Luton council this page
- Luton 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
- Luton North: Sarah Owen (Labour) MP
- Luton South and South Bedfordshire: Rachel Hopkins (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 Luton
- Luton: 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.