25 April 2003
Local authority spending has risen by 26% since 1998, according to a new survey, with education leading the way.
The survey, by market intelligence service Key Note, shows that councils spent £77.35bn in 2002. Education spending – £30.46bn in 2002 – is growing faster than that for most other services at about 7% a year, and the trend is set to continue until at least 2007.
The survey shows that the fastest growing sector in local authority expenditure is environmental services, which includes waste management and recycling. Up by 7.9% a year since 1998, it is predicted to increase by 33.6% between 2003 and 2007.
PFapr2003
