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Overview

West Midlands · Non-metropolitan district

Malvern Hills

2026/27 view

Malvern Hills · ONS E07000235

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

95/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Strong

Compared only with non-metropolitan district councils using central government returns.

164 councils in peer group Rank 1 of 164 Medium confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover95
Debt burden93
Debt direction99
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £-48.20m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
−£32.20m 201.3%
Service expenditure £11.54m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£2.58m 28.7%
Unallocated reserves £6.64m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£396.0k 6.3%
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 £11.54m
22.4%
2020/21: £9.43m 2021/22: £8.09m 2022/23: £8.41m 2023/24: £8.96m 2024/25: £11.54m
Net revenue expenditure £5.73m
27.2%
2020/21: £7.87m 2021/22: £6.21m 2022/23: £6.22m 2023/24: £6.12m 2024/25: £5.73m
Council Tax requirement £8.83m
19.6%
2020/21: £7.38m 2021/22: £7.55m 2022/23: £7.97m 2023/24: £8.45m 2024/25: £8.83m
Unallocated reserves £6.64m
11.4%
2020/21: £5.96m 2021/22: £6.15m 2022/23: £6.11m 2023/24: £6.24m 2024/25: £6.64m
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 population83,2272024 estimate
Latest net debt£-48.20m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for Malvern Hills, with like-for-like comparison against collection authorities.

2024/25
42.6%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

1.3 percentage points vs 2023/24
91 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%
Residual waste378.4 kgper household+3.9 kg year on year
Waste collected306.9 kgper resident−5.7 kg year on year
Household waste25,545tonnes collected10,871 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

10,871 t recycled, composted or reused 14,674 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

42.6%
2015/16: 38.3%2016/17: 37.7%2017/18: 37.2%2018/19: 40.5%2019/20: 39.8%2020/21: 42.3%2021/22: 41.3%2022/23: 41.3%2023/24: 43.9%2024/25: 42.6%
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 Malvern Hills.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
49 Open schools
10,949 Pupils
13,187 School places
83.0% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in Malvern Hills.

Attainment 8
47.4
West Midlands 44.6
England 46.1
1.3 points above England
English & maths grade 5+
45.2%
West Midlands 41.7%
England 45.4%
0.2 percentage points below England
EBacc entry
37.8%
West Midlands 37.9%
England 40.5%
2.7 percentage points below England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

0.08

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

49.9 18/19
52.1 19/20
51.5 20/21
51.0 21/22
46.6 22/23
47.8 23/24
47.4 24/25
Education context

Malvern Hills's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes show a mixed picture when compared with West Midlands and England.

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

Housing costs and local earnings

House prices and affordability for Malvern Hills, based on the earnings of local residents.

2025
Median house price
£325,000
+ 18.2% over five years
Median resident earnings
£35,429
+ 19.9% over five years
House price to earnings
9.17×
Improved from 9.31× five years ago
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in Malvern Hills.

£943 / month
+ 8.8% in the last year
July 2026
Malvern Hills
£943
+ 8.8%
West Midlands
£974
+ 4.5%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with West Midlands £31 less per month
Compared with England £508 less per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

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

Malvern Hills
9.17×
West Midlands
6.80×
England
7.64×
Compared with West Midlands 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 received201this quarter+17 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided185this quarter+8 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
83.2%approved
Overall approval rate154 granted31 refused+7.5 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

91.9%
Rank 160 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

0.2 percentage points lower than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major7100.0%100.0% Minor7475.7%89.2% Other10487.5%93.3%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 2022024 Q3: 1952024 Q4: 1542025 Q1: 2242025 Q2: 1912025 Q3: 1992025 Q4: 1842026 Q1: 2012024 Q2: 1822024 Q3: 2202024 Q4: 1672025 Q1: 1612025 Q2: 1852025 Q3: 1972025 Q4: 1772026 Q1: 185
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

101%
Required1,139homes over three years
Delivered1,147homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for Malvern Hills, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 20,860 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 63.6 offences per 1,000 residents
Annual change + 1.5% compared with the previous year
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
Malvern Hills Your council
63.6 + 1.5%
West Midlands Region
82.2 − 1.2%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

Malvern Hills has a recorded crime rate 22.7% below West Midlands. It is 23.8% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

West Mercia
Violence 8,245
25.1 per 1,000 + 6.7%
Theft 6,652
20.3 per 1,000 − 3.4%
Public order 1,628
5.0 per 1,000 − 4.5%
Criminal damage 1,960
6.0 per 1,000 + 0.2%
Shoplifting 2,619
8.0 per 1,000 − 2.1%
Vehicle offences 904
2.8 per 1,000 − 28.5%
Burglary 1,176
3.6 per 1,000 + 16.4%
Drug offences 463
1.4 per 1,000 + 0.2%
Crime figures cover the South Worcester Community Safety Partnership, including Malvern Hills, Worcester, Wychavon.
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 Malvern Hills.

49 schools
Open schools 49
Pupils 10,949
School places 13,187
Capacity used 83.0%
Primary 35 schools
5,267 pupils
Other / specialist 9 schools
1,165 pupils
Secondary 5 schools
4,517 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 5
10.2% of open schools
Previous full framework 26
53.1% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 9
18.4% of open schools
No Ofsted record 9
18.4% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

5 schools assessed
Achievement 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Needs attention 1
Attendance & behaviour 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Needs attention 1
Curriculum & teaching 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Needs attention 1
Inclusion 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Strong standard 2
Leadership & governance 5 assessed
Expected standard 5
Personal development 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 1
Safeguarding 5 assessed
Met 5
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 19
Inadequate 1
Not judged 6
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
Abberley Parochial VC Primary School URN 116780 · WR6 6AA Primary 102 105 Not judged
Astley CofE Primary School URN 116864 · DY13 0RH Primary 91 105 Renewed framework
Bayton CofE Primary School URN 116781 · DY14 9LG Primary 95 104 Not judged
Beacon View Primary School URN 151298 · WR14 2LU Primary 103 390 Inadequate
Broadheath CofE Primary School URN 147497 · WR2 6QT Primary 178 140 Ungraded inspection
Broadwas CofE Aided Primary School URN 116870 · WR6 5NE Primary 79 105 Renewed framework
Callow End CofE Primary School URN 147498 · WR2 4TE Primary 109 105 Good
Castlemorton Church of England Primary School URN 145837 · WR13 6BG Primary 92 105 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 83,227 2024
West Midlands region 6,187,204
Malvern Hills represents 1.35% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+5,355 residents ↑ 6.9%
2019: 77,872 residents2020: 78,288 residents2021: 79,969 residents2022: 81,113 residents2023: 81,943 residents2024: 83,227 residents
Malvern Hills +6.9%
West Midlands +4.5%
England +4.3%
Growth context

Malvern Hills's population grew over five years. Its change was 2.4 percentage points above the West Midlands and 2.6 percentage points above England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates
Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile
BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in Malvern Hills?

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

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 7,092 8.5% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +7.6% +500 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +0.6% +42 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
Malvern Hills LOCAL AUTHORITY
8.5%
West Midlands REGION
13.9%
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
7,092 6,463 5,834
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
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
£11.54m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£5.73m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£8.83m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£6.64m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £139
Median for councils of the same type £166 16.3% below peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Central services Gross £7.79m · Income £2.92m
£4.86m
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £5.82m · Income £2.28m
£3.53m
Planning and development Gross £7.41m · Income £5.59m
£1.82m
Culture and related services Gross £1.82m · Income £839.0k
£978.0k
Housing Gross £2.01m · Income £1.46m
£554.0k
Other services Gross £330.0k · Income £300.0k
£30.0k
Highways and transport Gross £356.0k · Income £596.0k
£-240.0k
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£8.83m
Retained business rates£3.61m
Revenue Support Grant£109.0k
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £6.32m
Closing £6.64m
£320.0k increase 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
£0.00 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£48.20m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£-48.20m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£-579 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £-579
Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 708.2% lower than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£32.20m quarterly reduction
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement −£32.20m −201.3%
Change across the series −£25.45m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

Net debt reduced during the latest quarter as the balance between borrowing and investments improved.

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
£4.53m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
97.52% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£391,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£75.62m 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
£4.53m
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 153.4%
+ £2.74m
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£1.79m 2021/22 £3.16m 2022/23 £4.07m 2023/24 £4.22m 2024/25 £4.53m 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.

£4.53m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £1.91m

42.1% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £2.62m

57.9% 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 97.52%

England average: 95.60%  ·  1.92 percentage points above 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 — Malvern Hillsmhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — Malvern Hillsmhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — Malvern Hillsmhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — Malvern Hills District Councildefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — Malvern Hillsmhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — Malvern Hillsmhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — Malvern Hillsmhclg 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.