⌘ K
Overview

South West · Unitary authority

Isles of Scilly

2026/27 view

Isles of Scilly · ONS E06000053

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

72/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Good

Compared only with unitary authority councils using central government returns.

63 councils in peer group Rank 12 of 63 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover100
Debt burden68
Liquidity84
Debt direction0
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £1.94m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
+£2.00m 3,076.9%
Service expenditure £11.08m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£1.37m 14.2%
Unallocated reserves £1.86m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
−£669.0k 26.4%
FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL TREND

How this council's finances have changed

Official annual outturn. Each line uses its own scale so direction remains easy to read.

Through 2024/25
Service expenditure £11.08m
44.3%
2020/21: £7.68m 2021/22: £6.63m 2022/23: £7.80m 2023/24: £9.70m 2024/25: £11.08m
Net revenue expenditure £7.83m
65.0%
2020/21: £4.75m 2021/22: £4.45m 2022/23: £4.85m 2023/24: £7.54m 2024/25: £7.83m
Council Tax requirement £1.97m
14.7%
2020/21: £1.72m 2021/22: £1.74m 2022/23: £1.79m 2023/24: £1.86m 2024/25: £1.97m
Unallocated reserves £1.86m
25.0%
2020/21: £2.48m 2021/22: £3.12m 2022/23: £3.18m 2023/24: £2.53m 2024/25: £1.86m
COUNCILMETRICS COMMUNITY SCORE Share your experience 0 of 25 responses collected before results are published
Score this council
Political controlNot yet recordedAdministration not identified
Council leaderNot identifiedParty not identified
Resident population2,3662024 estimate
Latest net debt£1.94m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for Isles of Scilly, with like-for-like comparison against unitary authorities.

2024/25
37.4%recycled
Household recycling rate

More waste recycled

3.4 percentage points vs 2023/24
53 of 96 peer authorities Peer median 39.0%
Residual waste876.9 kgper household+56.7 kg year on year
Waste collected632.0 kgper resident+39.2 kg year on year
Household waste1,639tonnes collected613 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

613 t recycled, composted or reused 1,026 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

37.4%
2015/16: 20.9%2016/17: 19.5%2017/18: 21.2%2018/19: 27.3%2019/20: 38.5%2020/21: 35.9%2021/22: 40.2%2022/23: 36.3%2023/24: 34.0%2024/25: 37.4%
2015/162024/25
Official Defra waste statistics · Annual local-authority return · Figures may not sum exactly because of published rounding.View source
EDUCATION

Schools and education

Schools, pupil numbers and latest education outcomes across Isles of Scilly.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
1 Open schools
243 Pupils
285 School places
85.3% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Isles of Scilly.

Attainment 8
48.7
South West 46.2
England 46.1
2.6 points above England
English & maths grade 5+
45.5%
South West 46.2%
England 45.4%
0.1 percentage points above England
EBacc entry
13.6%
South West 33.0%
England 40.5%
26.9 percentage points below England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

1.07

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

52.4 18/19
56.4 19/20
54.5 20/21
52.5 21/22
53.2 22/23
52.8 23/24
48.7 24/25
Education context

Isles of Scilly's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with South West and England.

Department for Education · Key Stage 4 performance · Pupil residency
HOUSING & AFFORDABILITY

Housing costs and local earnings

House prices and affordability for Isles of Scilly, based on the earnings of local residents.

2025
Median house price
£545,000
+ 131.9% over five years
Median resident earnings
£22,034
House price to earnings
16.96×
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

Median house price as a multiple of median resident earnings. Lower is more affordable.

Isles of Scilly
16.96×
South West
8.61×
England
7.88×
Compared with South West Less affordable
Compared with England Less affordable
Source: Office for National Statistics · Housing affordability in England and Wales · House prices year ending September · Residence-based earnings
PLANNING & HOUSING DELIVERY

Is development moving through the system?

Quarterly planning decisions and the government's latest three-year Housing Delivery Test.

2026 Q1
Applications received10this quarter−2 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided19this quarter+8 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
89.5%approved
Overall approval rate17 granted2 refused−10.5 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

73.7%
Rank 281 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

28.2 percentage points higher than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major0—— Minor988.9%66.7% Other1090.0%80.0%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 202024 Q3: 202024 Q4: 102025 Q1: 202025 Q2: 152025 Q3: 202025 Q4: 122026 Q1: 102024 Q2: 182024 Q3: 152024 Q4: 192025 Q1: 92025 Q2: 232025 Q3: 152025 Q4: 112026 Q1: 19
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for Isles of Scilly, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 74 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 31.3 offences per 1,000 residents
Annual change + 15.6% compared with the previous year
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
Isles of Scilly Your council
31.3 + 15.6%
South West Region
73.5 + 1.3%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

Isles of Scilly has a recorded crime rate 57.4% below South West. It is 62.5% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Devon and Cornwall
Violence 34
14.4 per 1,000
Theft 20
8.5 per 1,000
Public order 2
0.8 per 1,000
Criminal damage 7
3.0 per 1,000
Shoplifting 6
2.5 per 1,000
Vehicle offences 1
0.4 per 1,000
Burglary 3
1.3 per 1,000
Drug offences 3
1.3 per 1,000
ONS / Home Office · Police-recorded crime · Community Safety Partnership data
SCHOOLS & OFSTED

Schools and inspection outcomes

Open schools, pupil numbers and the latest published Ofsted inspection position for Isles of Scilly.

1 schools
Open schools 1
Pupils 243
School places 285
Capacity used 85.3%
All-through 1 school
243 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Previous full framework 1
100.0% of open schools
PREVIOUS FRAMEWORK

Legacy Ofsted ratings

These ratings apply only to schools whose latest full inspection remains under the previous Ofsted framework. Schools assessed under the renewed framework are shown separately above.

Good 1
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
The Five Islands Academy URN 144638 · TR21 0NA All-through 243 285 Good
School information: Get Information about Schools (GIAS). Inspection information: Ofsted monthly management information. Inspection frameworks differ over time, so renewed-framework standards and previous overall effectiveness grades are shown separately.
Published expenditure£0.00No spending file imported
Revenue budget£0.00Not imported
Reported overspend£0.00Not imported outturn
Contracts00 active
Identified suppliers0Normalised entities
PEOPLE AND PLACE

Population snapshot

View full People profile
Population 2,366 2024
South West region 5,889,695
Isles of Scilly represents 0.04% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+268 residents ↑ 12.8%
2019: 2,098 residents2020: 2,030 residents2021: 2,271 residents2022: 2,340 residents2023: 2,433 residents2024: 2,366 residents
Isles of Scilly +12.8%
South West +4.4%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Isles of Scilly's population grew over five years. Its change was 8.4 percentage points above the South West and 8.5 percentage points above England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates
Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile
PUBLIC HEALTH

How healthy are people in Isles of Scilly?

Life expectancy, early mortality, lifestyle and prevention measures from the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

OHID · latest available
LIFE EXPECTANCY

How does Isles of Scilly compare with England?

Latest published life expectancy at birth, shown against the matching England figure.

2025
Male —
England 80.0
Female —
England 83.8
HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY

Years expected in good health

Healthy life expectancy is considerably different from total life expectancy: it estimates how many years are expected to be lived in good health.

Male
—
England 60.9
Female
—
England 61.3
2022 - 24
EARLY MORTALITY

Deaths and premature mortality

Age-standardised mortality rates and the latest published suicide rate.

Preventable mortality 2024
No current data per 100,000
England 145.8
Not compared
Cardiovascular disease 2025
No current data per 100,000
England 71.5
Not compared
Cancer 2025
No current data per 100,000
England 114.6
Not compared
Liver disease 2025
No current data per 100,000
England 19.4
Not compared
Respiratory disease 2025
No current data per 100,000
England 31.5
Not compared
Suicide rate 2022 - 24
No current data per 100,000
England 10.9
Not compared
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Behaviours and health risks

Smoking, excess weight, physical activity and alcohol-related harm.

Adult smoking 2024
No current published value
Not compared
Adults overweight or obese 2024/25
Isles of Scilly 60.3% England 68.0%
Similar
Physically active adults 2024/25
Isles of Scilly 72.5% England 64.6%
Similar
Alcohol-related admissions 2023/24
No current published value
Not compared
CHILDREN & PREVENTION

Prevention and healthy development

Child health, physical activity, vaccination and screening coverage.

Reception overweight or obese 2024/25
No current data
No current published value
Council compared with England Not compared
Year 6 overweight or obese 2024/25
No current data
No current published value
Council compared with England Not compared
Physically active children 2024/25
No current data
No current published value
Council compared with England Not compared
MMR two-dose coverage 2024/25
No current data
No current published value
Council compared with England Not compared
Bowel cancer screening 2025
82.8%
Isles of Scilly 82.8% England 72.9%
Council compared with England Better
WIDER HEALTH

Other measures affecting population health

Selected wider indicators that help describe health and wellbeing across the area.

Dementia diagnosis rate 2026
53.7 per 100
England 66.3 per 100 Similar
Air pollution mortality 2024
3.2%
England 5.3% Not compared
Latest available measures can cover different reporting periods. England comparison is the classification published with the OHID measure. Public Health Outcomes Framework
BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in Isles of Scilly?

People receiving Universal Credit and how the caseload has changed over the latest 24 months.

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 97 4.1% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +5.4% +5 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +5.4% +5 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Isles of Scilly LOCAL AUTHORITY
4.1%
South West REGION
10.0%
England COUNTRY
12.3%
Percentage of the resident population receiving Universal Credit. This is not an unemployment rate.
24-MONTH TREND

People receiving Universal Credit

Monthly caseload recorded on the DWP Universal Credit system.

June 2024 May 2026
98 84 70
June 2024 May 2026
What does this measure?

Universal Credit provides financial support to people who are on a low income or out of work. These figures count people receiving Universal Credit, not households and not the number of people who are unemployed.

DWP Stat-Xplore
AIR QUALITY

How clean is the air?

Long-term particulate pollution across the council area, alongside measurements from local UK-AIR monitoring stations.

POPULATION-WEIGHTED ANNUAL MEAN

Fine particulate matter

No annual PM2.5 estimate is currently available.
LONG-TERM TREND

PM2.5 over time

Not enough annual data is available to show a trend.
CURRENT MONITORING

Latest station measurement

UK-AIR
No active UK-AIR monitoring station is currently mapped to this council.
HEALTH IMPACT

Particulate air pollution

3.2% of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution
2024 Not compared

This OHID measure estimates the mortality burden associated with particulate air pollution. It is a health-impact measure, not a pollution concentration.

Annual PM2.5 is Defra Pollution Climate Mapping data. Monitoring readings are station-specific UK-AIR measurements and may be provisional.
HOUSING LICENSING

HMOs and property licensing

Coverage not assessedNational HMO explorer
Licensed HMOsAwaiting registerOnly licensed properties will be counted
Register accessNot assessedNo register record available
Identifiable HMO expenditureNot identifiableNot separately described in published transactions
Inspection and enforcement dataAwaiting dataNo activity source imported yet
Coverage note

A licensed HMO register has not yet been located for this council. CouncilMetrics does not estimate HMO expenditure from broad housing or social-care descriptions.

FINANCE

How this council raises and spends money

Comparable official outturn for 2024/25, reported to central government.

MHCLG official outturn
Total service expenditure
£11.08m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£7.83m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£1.97m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£1.86m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £4,682
Median for councils of the same type £1,777 163.5% above peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Education Gross £2.07m · Income £19.0k
£2.05m
Adult social care Gross £2.58m · Income £546.0k
£2.03m
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £2.36m · Income £443.0k
£1.92m
Central services Gross £1.25m · Income £49.0k
£1.20m
Children's social care Gross £1.09m · Income £24.0k
£1.07m
Highways and transport Gross £2.77m · Income £1.85m
£915.0k
Fire and rescue Gross £1.11m · Income £208.0k
£903.0k
Culture and related services Gross £729.0k · Income £252.0k
£477.0k
Planning and development Gross £476.0k · Income £140.0k
£336.0k
Public health Gross £145.0k · Income £0.00
£145.0k
Housing Gross £611.0k · Income £578.0k
£33.0k
Other services Gross £3.0k · Income £1.0k
£2.0k
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£1.97m
Retained business rates£2.20m
Revenue Support Grant£2.29m
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £2.53m
Closing £1.86m
£669.0k decrease during 2024/25
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Revenue Outturn RS and RSX · values shown in pounds Official dataset
BORROWING AND INVESTMENTS

Balance-sheet position

A point-in-time view of debt and liquid investments at the end of 2026/27 Q1.

MHCLG quarterly return
Outstanding borrowing
£3.75m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£1.82m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£1.94m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£818 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £818
Median for unitary authority councils £1,104 25.9% lower than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£2.00m quarterly increase
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement +£2.00m +3,076.9%
Change across the series +£2.70m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

Net debt increased during the quarter, with higher outstanding borrowing contributing to the movement.

BORROWING COMPOSITION

Where the borrowing sits

PWLB, other longer-term borrowing and short-term borrowing.

2026/27 Q1
Public Works Loan Board£3.75m
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment live table · 2026/27 Q1 · values shown in pounds Official dataset
COUNCIL TAX & COLLECTION

How much council tax remains unpaid?

Council tax collection, outstanding arrears and write-offs reported to central government.

MHCLG 2025/26
Outstanding arrears
£288,000 Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
95.25% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£13,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£2.63m Receipts relating to the financial year
FIVE-YEAR TREND

How has unpaid council tax changed?

Outstanding arrears at each financial year-end.

2021/22–2025/26
OUTSTANDING ARREARS 2025/26
£288,000
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 188.0%
+ £188,000
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£100,000 2021/22 £139,000 2022/23 £148,000 2023/24 £208,000 2024/25 £288,000 2025/26

Figures represent total outstanding council tax balances, including arrears carried forward from earlier years. Changes in council boundaries can affect historical comparisons.

OUTSTANDING ARREARS

Where does the unpaid council tax come from?

Breakdown of outstanding balances at the end of 2025/26.

£288,000 outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £132,000

45.8% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £156,000

54.2% of outstanding arrears

Current-year arrears Earlier-years arrears

Earlier-years arrears represent unpaid council tax carried forward from previous financial years. These figures do not identify individual households or establish whether balances are recoverable.

COLLECTION PERFORMANCE

How does this council compare?

England 2025/26
In-year collection rate 95.25%

England average: 95.60%  ·  0.35 percentage points below England

Outstanding arrears include unpaid balances from earlier financial years and are not the same as council tax uncollected during 2025/26. Monetary values are rounded for display. Official MHCLG source

SPENDING

Published directorate expenditure

Explore all 0 records
CONTRACTS

Largest contracts

Explore all 0 contracts
ContractSupplierStatusEnd dateOriginal value
SUPPLIERS

Largest supplier exposure

Dated transactions
SupplierPaymentsPublished expenditure
PROVENANCE

Source documents

39 imported
DocumentDatasetPeriodStatusOfficial source
Housing Delivery Test 2025 results — Isles of Scillymhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Isles of Scillymhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Isles of Scillymhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Council of the Isles of Scillydefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Isles of Scillymhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Isles of Scillymhclg revenue outturn rs2024/25importedOpen
How to read these figures and the Financial Health Score

Budget summaries and financial positions retain the reporting year and assurance status of their original source. Draft or unaudited values are labelled separately from audited outturn figures. The Financial Health Score uses reserves cover, net debt per resident, liquidity and quarterly debt direction from central MHCLG returns. Each component is converted to a percentile among councils of the same authority type; available components are weighted 35%, 30%, 20% and 15% respectively. A score is published only when at least three components covering 65% of the weighting are available. It is a comparative financial indicator, not an assessment of service quality or political performance.