This is what the council owes after subtracting the money it holds in investments and deposits — its loans minus its cash cushion. It matters because it shows the true underlying debt position rather than just the headline loan figure. A high number means debts far outweigh the money set aside; a low or negative number means the council's cash and investments cover most or all of what it owes.
| name | net_debt_end |
|---|---|
| dataset | 02-capital-outturn-debt |
| kind | extracted |
| type | numeric |
| unit | £000 |
| grain | council-year |
| role | feature |
| source | Capital_time_series_data_wide_24_03_26.csv, column PRU2T1_prubrwnet_end |
| period | 2018-19 to 2024-25 |
| missingness | unknown |
| score_note | Truest raw debt figure yet still size-driven and overlaps gross_borrowing_end. |
| peer_group | council class (district / county / unitary / metropolitan / London) — not yet scored on the leaderboard |
Net debt at year end: gross borrowing plus credit arrangements, less investments held. It is the truest single-number picture of the council's indebted position after offsetting its cash and investment balances. A council with high gross borrowing but large investments is in a different risk position than one whose net and gross debt coincide.