Council debt across Hampshire and the Solent has topped £2.7billion.

Nine local authorities in the region continued to have an outstanding borrowing level in excess of £100 million.

Southampton City Council saw its debt increase £46.4 million over 12 months to £359 million at the end of March.

The city council’s lead member for finance said borrowing was necessary to pay for large investments.

The figures, collated by the BBC Shared Data Unit from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government data, suggested Hampshire County Council had a larger increase of almost £60 million to £250.3 million.

However, a spokesperson for the county council said this was due to an “error” by the authority’s bank and there had been a £3.4 million reduction in debt from 2023/24.

Portsmouth City Council saw its debt fall by almost £21 million in the year to March 31, 2025, but it still had the highest outstanding total in the county at £682.9 million.

Eastleigh Borough Council’s borrowing rose from £577 million to £578.8 million to retain the second largest total in Hampshire.

New Forest District Council also saw a notable debt level rise, going up from £124 million to £132.9 million.

The lowest debt figure was at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, where it fell from £116,000 to £98,000.

Cllr Simon Letts, Southampton City Council cabinet member for finance and resources, said: “Like most organisations and individuals, it is necessary for the council to borrow money to pay for large investments.

“This is similar to an individual borrowing money to buy a house or replace a vehicle. The council borrows from the government at low rates to fund investments in its assets through what is known as the ‘capital programme’.

“Such investments are typically for things like land, buildings and equipment that would benefit services for a long term, normally at least a year.”

Cllr Letts said the authority’s borrowing is expected to rise over the next three years.

He said this was necessary to support investment in major projects, such as the school SEND expansion programme, Outdoor Sprots Centre and other leisure facilities, restoring heritage assets, and the exceptional financial support previously authorised by government.

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “Most local authorities hold debt. For Hampshire County Council, as one of the largest county councils in the country, serving 1.4 million residents, this must be seen in the context of a £3.1bn gross budget and the fact that we have around £0.4bn of investments.

“The data provided at the end of 2024/25 includes a significant overdraft balance we had for a single day (March 31, 2025) due to an error by our bank.

“Excluding this, the debt figures reported to government would have fallen by £3.4m between 2023/24 and 2024/25, rather than increased by nearly £60m.”

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy financial resilience indexed rated the county council’s debt interest costs as low risk because they took up a “relatively small amount” of the revenue budget, the spokesperson added.

Cllr Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: “The council’s debt is primarily made up of outstanding loans, the majority of which relates to investment in commercial properties which generate an income, over borrowing costs in excess of £7m each year to support vital council services.

“Other borrowing includes for the provision of homes for residents, with borrowing costs met from council rents, and the funding of our successful Dunsbury Business Park, Lakeside North Harbour, and our international port, which also generate incomes for council services.”

A New Forest District Council spokesperson said: “The significant majority of the council’s debt relates to the historic housing revenue account self-financing settlement in 2012, when the government changed the annual housing subsidy system.

“This debt originally totalled £142.7 million, and the council has been steadily repaying this annually.

“Additional borrowing undertaken during 2024/25 was utilised to part fund the council’s capital expenditure programme, as detailed and approved each year in February as part of the council’s annual budget setting process.

“The new borrowing was principally related to expenditure on the council’s housing stock acquisition and development programme supporting one of our key corporate priorities.”

The debt levels at Hampshire and Isle of Wight councils as of March 31, 2025, difference from the previous year and the debt level per resident are as follows:

Basingstoke and Deane: £98,000, down £18,000, 2024, £0.52

East Hampshire: £116,440,000, down £2,240,000, £906.57

Eastleigh: £578,821,000, up £1,762,000, £4,106.57

Fareham: £61,836,000, down £3,420,000, £541,68

Gosport: £59,150,000, down £400,000, £717.97

Hampshire County Council: £250,284,000, up £59,454,000 (authority said this is due to bank error), £175.20

Hart: £13,990,000, down £3580,000, £137.78

Havant: £2,829,000, down £109,000, £22.51

Isle of Wight: £182,414,000, up £862,000, £1,294,58

New Forest: £132,904,000, up £8,900,000, £757.73

Portsmouth: £682,922,000, down £20,967,000, £3,247.42

Rushmoor: £166,000,000, up £4,000,000, £1,613.09

Southampton: £359,022,000, up £46,425,000, £1,401.83

Test Valley: £6,047,000, down £251,000, £44.97

Winchester: £154,491,000, down £5,231,000, £1,166.50