Darlington compared with unitary authorities
Compared with the 62 unitary authorities.
- Residents
- 113,402 (mid-2025)
- Band D council tax
- £2,494 a year in 2026-27, including police, fire and parish charges
Where Darlington sits
5
measures in the bottom quarter
3
measures below the middle
12
measures in the top half
Darlington compares worst with unitary authorities on:
- fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents (54th of 62; 1st is lowest)
- website accessibility score (53rd of 62; 1st is highest)
- household waste reused, recycled or composted (49th of 60; 1st is highest)
It compares best on:
- council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard (1st of 34; 1st is lowest)
- upheld cases the council had already put right (3rd of 52; 1st is highest)
- tenants satisfied their home is well maintained (4th of 33; 1st is highest)
SEND assessments
Education, health and care plans set out support for children with special educational needs. The law says a new plan should be issued within 20 weeks.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks 2025 | 81.5% | 56.4% | Top half 11th of 58 |
Ombudsman complaints
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at complaints the council's own complaints process has not resolved. Upheld means the Ombudsman found the council at fault.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upheld complaints per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 4.4 | 4.3 | Below the middle 32nd of 62 | |
| Complaints to the Ombudsman per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 48.5 | 37.7 | Bottom quarter 48th of 62 | |
| Upheld complaints about children's services per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about special educational needs per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about homelessness per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld cases the council had already put right 2025-26 | 40.0% | 14.9% | Top half 3rd of 52 | |
| Ombudsman remedies delivered on time 2025-26 | No figure | 77.8% | No figure |
Council housing
From the tenant survey and performance figures every council landlord reports to the Regulator of Social Housing. Only councils that still own council homes are included.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenants satisfied with the overall service 2024-25 | 79.4% | 69.1% | Top half 6th of 33 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is well maintained 2024-25 | 81.8% | 68.9% | Top half 4th of 33 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is safe 2024-25 | 84.6% | 75.3% | Top half 4th of 33 | |
| Tenants who say the council listens and acts 2024-25 | 70.3% | 58.0% | Top half 4th of 33 | |
| Non-emergency repairs done within target time 2024-25 | 78.4% | 82.6% | Below the middle 23rd of 34 | |
| Council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard 2024-25 | 0.0% | 2.2% | Top half 1st of 34 | |
| Stage 1 housing complaints answered in time 2024-25 | 79.9% | 73.2% | Top half 14th of 34 |
Council tax
How much of the year's council tax bills the council collected by 31 March.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax collected in the year it was due 2025-26 | 96.5% | 95.8% | Top half 23rd of 62 |
Streets and waste
Fly-tipping the council recorded, how often it took enforcement action, and how much household waste was recycled.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents 2024-25 | 33.9 | 11.1 | Bottom quarter 54th of 62 | |
| Enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents 2024-25 | 11.5 | 41.4 | Bottom quarter 48th of 62 | |
| Household waste reused, recycled or composted 2023-24 | 30.8% | 42.3% | Bottom quarter 49th of 60 |
Homelessness
Temporary accommodation and the outcomes of homelessness cases, from the council's statutory returns.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households January to March 2026 | 1.5 | 1.9 | Top half 22nd of 58 | |
| Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more January to March 2026 | 5.6% | 7.9% | Top half 26th of 55 | |
| Prevention cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 47.1% | 50.5% | Below the middle 41st of 60 | |
| Relief cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 45.7% | 37.7% | Top half 15th of 60 |
Website
An automated test of the council website's accessibility.
| Measure | Darlington | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website accessibility score October 2026 | 81.5% | 93.4% | Bottom quarter 53rd of 62 |
What the council spends
Net spending per resident in 2025-26, after fees, charges and specific grants, not counting schools. Spending more is not better or worse on its own. Negative highways figures come from parking income.
| Service | Darlington | Median | Rank, highest first | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's social care | £407 | £298 | 8th of 61 | |
| Adult social care | £463 | £480 | 35th of 61 | |
| Public health | £96 | £66 | 17th of 61 | |
| Housing (general fund) | £28 | £35 | 40th of 61 | |
| Environmental and regulatory | £113 | £111 | 27th of 61 | |
| Highways and transport | £50 | £49 | 28th of 61 | |
| Culture and leisure | £82 | £37 | 3rd of 61 | |
| Planning and development | £11 | £21 | 47th of 61 | |
| Central services | £64 | £51 | 18th of 61 | |
| All services excluding schools | £1,306 | £1,189 | 16th of 61 |
Children's services inspection
Ofsted rated Darlington’s children's services outstanding at its last full inspection, in February 2026.
- Outstanding
- 15 of the 62 unitary authorities, including Darlington
- Good
- 26 of the 62 unitary authorities
- Requires improvement
- 16 of the 62 unitary authorities
- Inadequate
- 5 of the 62 unitary authorities
Over time
Darlington against the median of unitary authorities.
EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
By calendar year.
- Darlington: 81.5%
- Median (unitary authorities): 56.4%
Upheld Ombudsman complaints per 100,000 residents
Using the latest population estimate for every year.
- Darlington: 4.4
- Median (unitary authorities): 4.3
Household waste recycling rate
Reused, recycled or composted.
- Darlington: 30.8%
- Median (unitary authorities): 42.3%
Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents
As recorded by the council.
- Darlington: 33.9
- Median (unitary authorities): 11.1
How to read these figures
Position 1 is the best in the group. The bottom quarter is shown in red, below the middle in yellow and the top half in green. Councils with the same figure share a position.
In each chart, every mark is a council in England and the large dot is Darlington. Councils in the group you are comparing with are darker. The dashed line is the group's median.