Revenue spending on services by English local authorities was £22.9bn in the first quarter of the financial year – up 2.0% on the first quarter of 2018/19.
Quarterly revenue outturn figures released this week by the Ministry of Communities and Local Government show the highest first quarter spending figure since 2011/12, the earliest figures published by the department.
Net current expenditure, which includes benefits and levy payments, rose from £27.2bn to £27.3bn over the year.
