In this section: Public services
What it buys: spending and what is published alongside it
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Each service below shows its spending in real terms beside what is published about what it delivers: officers and recorded crime, incidents and response times, calls and waits, headcount. The two are shown together; how much of any change the money caused is not something these figures can show.
Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury.
Key figures
- £31.6bnPolice, 2025-26 +4.8% in real terms
- £4.2bnFire and rescue, 2025-26 +1.8% in real terms
- £5.5bnAmbulance, 2024-25 +4.4% in real terms
- £257.5bnNHS, 2025-26 +2.7% in real terms
- £14.2bnRoads, 2025-26 +1.1% in real terms
Sources: HM Treasury, NHS England, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Scottish Ambulance Service, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust, Office for Budget Responsibility.
Police
Spending: £31.6bn in 2025-26 (Police, United Kingdom), £454 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £26.1bn in 2020-21 and £31.6bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Recorded crime per 1,000 residentsDetails for Recorded crime per 1,000 residents | 83.0 per 1,000 (2025-26) | 77.1 per 1,000 (2020-21) |
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Officers per 100,000 residentsDetails for Officers per 100,000 residents | 235 per 100,000 (2025-26) | 228 per 100,000 (2020-21) |
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Charged or summonsedDetails for Charged or summonsed | 8.6% (2025-26) | 8.5% (2020-21) |
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999 calls answered within 10 secondsDetails for 999 calls answered within 10 seconds | 88.8% (2026-08) | 90.3% (2026-03) |
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Fire and rescue
Spending: £4.2bn in 2025-26 (Fire and rescue, United Kingdom), £59.95 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £3.8bn in 2020-21 and £4.2bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Incidents per 1,000 residentsDetails for Incidents per 1,000 residents | 10.9 per 1,000 residents (2025-26) | 9.2 per 1,000 residents (2020-21) |
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Average response time to primary firesDetails for Average response time to primary fires | 9.42 minutes (2025-26) | 8.59 minutes (2020-21) |
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Staff, full-time equivalentDetails for Staff, full-time equivalent | 40,082 FTE (2024-25) | 40,135 FTE (2019-20) |
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Fire stationsDetails for Fire stations | 1,386 stations (2024-25) | 1,394 stations (2019-20) |
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Ambulance
Spending: £5.5bn in 2024-25 (Ambulance services, United Kingdom), £78.77 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £5.4bn in 2023-24 and £5.6bn in 2024-25.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Category 1 (life-threatening): average responseDetails for Category 1 (life-threatening): average response | 7.9 minutes (2026-08) | 7.8 minutes (2026-03) |
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Category 2 (emergency, such as stroke or heart attack): average responseDetails for Category 2 (emergency, such as stroke or heart attack): average response | 28.9 minutes (2026-08) | 26.3 minutes (2026-03) |
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Handovers taking over an hourDetails for Handovers taking over an hour | 7.0% (2026-08) | 5.4% (2026-03) |
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NHS
Spending: £257.5bn in 2025-26 (Health, United Kingdom), £3,706 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £265.7bn in 2020-21 and £257.5bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Waiting under 18 weeks (England)Details for Waiting under 18 weeks (England) | 65.3% (2026-07) | 64.9% (2026-04) |
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Waiting list per 1,000 residents (England)Details for Waiting list per 1,000 residents (England) | 121.7 per 1,000 residents (2026-07) | 121.1 per 1,000 residents (2026-04) |
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NHS staff, full-time equivalent (England)Details for NHS staff, full-time equivalent (England) | 1,369,177 FTE (2026-07) | 1,379,060 FTE (2026-02) |
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Roads
Spending: £14.2bn in 2025-26 (United Kingdom), £205 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £14.5bn in 2020-21 and £14.2bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Road maintenance spending per mileDetails for Road maintenance spending per mile | £6,923 (2025-26) | £6,313 (2023-24) |
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A roads where maintenance should be consideredDetails for A roads where maintenance should be considered | 5% (2024-25) | 4% (2019-20) |
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Roadworks on site in the monthDetails for Roadworks on site in the month | 185,759 works (2026-08) | 243,594 works (2026-03) |
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Schools
Spending: £125.7bn in 2025-26 (United Kingdom), £1,809 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £116.1bn in 2020-21 and £125.7bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Schools block funding per pupilDetails for Schools block funding per pupil | £6,771 (2026-27) | £5,221 (2021-22) |
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Pupils per teacherDetails for Pupils per teacher | 17.9 pupils per teacher (2025/26) | 18.0 pupils per teacher (2020/21) |
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Council spending
Spending: £202.4bn in 2024-25 (United Kingdom), £2,921 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £197.5bn in 2019-20 and £209.3bn in 2024-25.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Council spending per resident, excluding schools, police and fireDetails for Council spending per resident, excluding schools, police and fire | £1,173 (2025-26) | £905 (2020-21) |
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Share of income from council taxDetails for Share of income from council tax | 20.8% (2025-26) | 20.5% (2020-21) |
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Adult social care spending per residentDetails for Adult social care spending per resident | £466 (2025-26) | £332 (2020-21) |
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Housing
Spending: £22.5bn in 2025-26 (United Kingdom), £324 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £16.7bn in 2020-21 and £22.5bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 householdsDetails for Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households | 5.5 per 1,000 households (2026-03) | 4.0 per 1,000 households (2021-03) |
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Spending on temporary accommodation per residentDetails for Spending on temporary accommodation per resident | £23.27 (2025-26) | £16.17 (2023-24) |
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Affordable homes completed per 1,000 householdsDetails for Affordable homes completed per 1,000 households | 2.6 per 1,000 households (2024-25) | 2.1 per 1,000 households (2020-21) |
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General Fund housing spending per residentDetails for General Fund housing spending per resident | £59.13 (2025-26) | £45.44 (2023-24) |
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Waste and recycling
Spending: £25.8bn in 2025-26 (United Kingdom), £371 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £23.0bn in 2020-21 and £25.8bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or compostingDetails for Household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting | 42.0% (2024-25) | 43.8% (2019-20) |
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Spending on waste collection and recycling per householdDetails for Spending on waste collection and recycling per household | £81 (2025-26) | — |
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Armed forces
Spending: £65.4bn in 2025-26 (Defence, United Kingdom), £941 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £54.2bn in 2020-21 and £65.4bn in 2025-26.
| Measure | Latest | Five periods earlier |
|---|---|---|
UK regular forcesDetails for UK regular forces | 137,482 people (2026-07) | 136,998 people (2025-04) |
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Core defence spending, NATO measureDetails for Core defence spending, NATO measure | 2.56 % of GDP (2026e) | 2.25 % of GDP (2021) |
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What these figures do and don't show
- Side by side, not cause and effect. A rise in spending and a change in an output in the same years does not show that one caused the other: demand, prices, population, policy and recording all change too.
- Different areas. Spending is for the UK or the nation named; outputs are for the group named in each table (England and Wales for police, England for fire response times). They are not mixed into one figure.
- Outputs are what is published, not everything a service does. Each service’s page has the fuller picture and the breaks in each series.
Sources for this page
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.
Social care
Spending: £56.1bn in 2025-26 (United Kingdom), £808 per resident; in 2025-26 prices it was £44.8bn in 2020-21 and £56.1bn in 2025-26.
Details for Adult social care spending per adult
Details for Share of long-term care spending on care homes
Details for Children’s services spending per child
Details for Children looked after per 10,000 children