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06
Jul
North Yorkshire Council debt totals £471 million, new research reveals
New research has found that North Yorkshire Council has a total debt of £471 million.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance revealed that total local authority debt in the UK reached a record £154.6 billion in 2025/26.
Published ahead of the Local Government Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Bournemouth, the campaign group for lower taxes found that council debt has more than doubled since 2009/10.
According to the research, North Yorkshire has the 103rd highest debt in the list of 489 local authorities.
It has total debt of £471,226,000, which includes £340,347,000 in loans from the government’s public works loan board.
The public works loan board is a lending facility is operated by the UK Debt Management Office on behalf of HM Treasury and provides loans to local authorities.
Meanwhile, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which was set up two years ago, has £22,180,000 in total debt.
Transport for London was the most indebted local authority body, with £14 billion of debt, while Birmingham was the most indebted council outside Greater London Authority bodies, with £3.5 billion.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance is warning that rising borrowing, speculative investments and growing statutory costs have created a ticking time bomb for local taxpayers.
Chief executive John O’Connell said:
The mountain of local authority debt is a ticking time bomb for taxpayers who will ultimately be left holding the bag.
Decades of speculative investments, reckless borrowing and statutory obligations from Westminster have left councils stuffed to the brim with debt, while basic services like fixing potholes have been neglected.
Local authorities need to urgently get a grip on their debts before even more end up going completely bust.
The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for comment.
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