Local government expenditure patterns in 2010 and 2015

The two pie charts illustrate the distribution of local government expenditure across nine different sectors in 2010 and 2015. Overall, it is evident that while the top three spending categories remained consistent, their relative proportions underwent minor fluctuations, whereas other sectors experienced more significant changes over the five-year period.

In 2010, education accounted for the largest share of expenditure at 24%, followed by healthcare at 21% and pensions at 19%. By 2015, education and healthcare saw slight declines to 21% and 20% respectively, while pension spending remained stable at 19%. Defence also experienced a decrease, falling from 17% in 2010 to 14% in 2015.

Conversely, welfare and interest on borrowing saw growth. Welfare spending rose from 8% to 13%, and interest on borrowing doubled from 5% to 10%. Meanwhile, expenditure on transport and culture and leisure saw sharp declines, both dropping to 1% by 2015. The 'other' category remained consistently low, representing only 1% of the total budget in both years. In summary, the data highlights a shift in fiscal priorities, with a move away from public services like transport and education towards welfare and debt-related costs.