Central government spending in the United Kingdom, also called public expenditure, is the responsibility of the UK government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive

Northern Ireland Executive

The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...

. Government spending

Government spending

Government spending includes all government consumption, investment but excludes transfer payments made by a state. Government acquisition of goods and services for current use to directly satisfy individual or collective needs of the members of the community is classed as government final...

 in the UK is the ninth highest of the 27 member states of the European Union and represents 51% of GDP.

Spending per head is significantly higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland than it is in England.

Local government spending

Local government spending is the responsibility of local authorities, under the supervision of the respective national governments:

• English local authorities, under the supervision of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
  
  
• Scottish local authorities, under the supervision of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth
• Welsh local authorities, under the supervision of the Minister for Local Government and Communities
• Northern Ireland local authorities
  Local government in Northern Ireland
  Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...
  
  , under the supervision of the Minister of the Environment

Spending by subnational authorities amounted to 26% of total public expenditure in 2010

See also

• Barnett Formula
  Barnett formula
  The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by The Treasury in the United Kingdom to adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales automatically to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales or Great...
  
  
• Fiscal autonomy for Scotland
  Fiscal autonomy for Scotland
  Full fiscal autonomy, sometimes referred to as devolution max, devo-max or fiscal federalism, has come to be used to describe a situation where instead of receiving a block grant from the UK Exchequer as at present, the Scottish Parliament would receive all taxation levied in Scotland and would...
  
  
• History of the English fiscal system
  History of the English fiscal system
  The history of the English fiscal system affords the best known example of continuous financial development in terms of both institutions and methods. Although periods of great upheaval occurred from the time of the Norman Conquest to the beginning of the 20th century, the line of connection is...
  
  
• Taxation in the United Kingdom
  Taxation in the United Kingdom
  Taxation in the United Kingdom may involve payments to a minimum of two different levels of government: The central government and local government. Central government revenues come primarily from income tax, National Insurance contributions, value added tax, corporation tax and fuel duty...
  
  
• United Kingdom budget
  United Kingdom budget
  The United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
  
  , the budget of the UK government
• United Kingdom national debt
  United Kingdom national debt
  The British public debt is the money borrowed by the Government of the United Kingdom at any one time through the issue of securities by the British Treasury and other government agencies. The origins of the British national debt can be found during the reign of William III, who engaged a syndicate...