RESEARCH / VERSION 1.1 / 16 OCTOBER 2026
Local drug-treatment need, outcomes and funding: England
How do treatment need and resources vary by area?
Coverage: 153 English upper-tier/unitary authorities. Official need, outcomes and allocation measures have different dates and coverage; missing values remain missing.
Findings and their limits
153 English authorities; three different evidence periods. Prevalence and opiate-completion measures each map to 150 authorities, but the missing/combined areas differ. Allocations cover all 153. These are not 153 complete, comparable access measurements.
| Measure | Period | Population / scope |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated opiate/crack use | 2022/23 | Ages 15–64; source confidence limits retained |
| Treatment completion without re-presentation | 2024/25 | Adults 18+; proportion of all in treatment |
| Protected allocation | 2026/27 | Alcohol and drugs; allocation rather than spend |
| Historical service use | 2020/21 | Historical only; not a current access measure |
No waiting-time or compatible local unmet-need estimate is included. Every authority has a fixed-version profile below. Use the same measure and period when comparing; do not subtract unlike populations or interpret continuing treatment as failure.
Cite and reuse
Civil Liberties Action (2026). Local drug-treatment need, outcomes and funding: England [Dataset]. Version 1.1, 2026-10-16. https://cla-political-finance.copperchime4.chatgpt.site/databases/releases/2026-10-16-v1.1/treatment-research.html
BibTeX RIS Full CSV Full JSON Reproducibility package
For an individual observation, cite its fixed-version record and the original source. Credit original publishers for their figures; CLA supplies the compilation, coding and stated analysis. Reuse terms.
Methods and selection
Unit of analysis
One English upper-tier/unitary authority on post-April-2023 geography, with each measure retaining its original source area and definition.
Inclusion and coverage
153 authorities; the entire mapped authority frame is included. Source tables are OHID/UKHSA 2022/23 opiate/crack prevalence, Fingertips 2024/25 completion indicators and 2026/27 protected drug-and-alcohol allocations. Historical service use is explicitly 2020/21.
Coding and checks
- Prevalence covers ages 15–64 and opiate/crack use. Treatment completion uses adults aged 18+ and source-specific substance groups. Completion without re-presentation is a proportion of all in treatment, not just those discharged. It is not a failure rate for everyone else.
- Funding is a protected allocation covering alcohol and prevention as well as drug treatment; it is not actual spend. No funding-per-person-in-need ratio is calculated from incompatible scope or periods.
- Former Cumbria is not artificially split between Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness. Combined Cornwall/Isles of Scilly, Hackney/City of London and Leicestershire/Rutland source areas retain their notes; do not sum overlapping source areas twice.
- Null means missing or unavailable separately, not zero. Source confidence limits, notes and denominators are retained. No local waiting-time or compatible unmet-need estimate is included.
Selection-history limitation
The first pilots were assembled through purposive discovery and source checking. Their complete original search-engine query/results history was not retained, so the first selection cannot be replayed exactly. This limitation is not repaired by writing a retrospective systematic-search claim. Published records and transformations can be reproduced from the supplied files; prospective expansion protocols below define the next collection work.
Prospective expansion protocol
Add an access measure only when referral/start definitions, age and substance coverage, area and year are documented. Keep referral-to-start waits, treatment penetration, retention and completion separate. Compare like measures and periods; avoid causal claims from cross-sectional allocations.
Interpretation limits
England only. These profiles describe need, selected outcomes and allocations, not current service availability, waiting lists, treatment quality or a national access ranking.
Dates and accountability
Release date is the date of this publication. reviewed_at records a stated evidence check, not proof that every fact remains current. Publication date, event date, reference period, document version and source-check date are separate fields.
Published by Civil Liberties Action. Compilation, source retrieval and drafting used AI assistance. Automated integrity checks and additional source checks are described below; no independent external or specialist review is claimed.
Download the protocol and dictionary
Data dictionary
| Field | Definition |
|---|---|
| id / record_id | Stable record identifier; retained across releases where the unit remains the same. |
| release / version | Publication date and release version, separate from the date of underlying evidence. |
| record_url / citation | Fixed-version record link and suggested citation. |
| category / geography / period | Display group, actual coverage and source reference period; not a harmonised statistical panel. |
| reviewed_at | Date of the recorded source check, subject to its stated scope. |
| details / sources | Labelled observations and original URLs, titles and locators. |
| limitations | Record-specific boundary on interpretation. |
| raw | Underlying typed source/coding fields; null remains missing, not zero. |
| geography_code / prevalence.area_name | Target authority code and source geography; not always one-to-one. |
| prevalence.*_95 | Published 95% limits for the estimated count or rate; not uncertainty for other measures. |
| outcomes.* | Numerator, denominator, value, interval and source notes for each substance group. |
| funding.value_gbp | Protected allocation, 2026/27, including alcohol; not actual spending. |
Fixed-version records and local profiles
| Record | Reference period | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Barnet | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Barnsley | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bedford | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bexley | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Birmingham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Blackpool | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bolton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bracknell Forest | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bradford | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Brent | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Brighton and Hove | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bristol | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bromley | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Buckinghamshire UA | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Bury | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Calderdale | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Cambridgeshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Camden | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Central Bedfordshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Cheshire East | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| City of London | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Missing or combined-area measures |
| Cornwall | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| County Durham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Coventry | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Croydon | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Cumberland | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Missing or combined-area measures |
| Darlington | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Derby | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Derbyshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Devon | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Doncaster | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Dorset | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Dudley | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Ealing | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| East Sussex | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Enfield | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Essex | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Gateshead | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Gloucestershire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Greenwich | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hackney | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Halton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hampshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Haringey | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Harrow | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hartlepool | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Havering | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Herefordshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hertfordshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hillingdon | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Hounslow | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Isle of Wight | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Isles of Scilly | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Missing or combined-area measures |
| Islington | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Kent | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Kingston upon Hull | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Kingston upon Thames | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Kirklees | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Knowsley | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Lambeth | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Lancashire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Leeds | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Leicester | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Leicestershire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Lewisham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Lincolnshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Liverpool | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Luton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Manchester | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Medway | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Merton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Middlesbrough | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Milton Keynes | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Newham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Norfolk | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North East Lincolnshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North Lincolnshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North Northamptonshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North Somerset | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North Tyneside | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| North Yorkshire UA | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Northumberland | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Nottingham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Nottinghamshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Oldham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Oxfordshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Peterborough | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Plymouth | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Portsmouth | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Reading | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Redbridge | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Richmond upon Thames | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Rochdale | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Rotherham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Rutland | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Missing or combined-area measures |
| Salford | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Sandwell | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Sefton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Sheffield | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Shropshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Slough | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Solihull | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Somerset UA | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| South Gloucestershire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| South Tyneside | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Southampton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Southend-on-Sea | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Southwark | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| St. Helens | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Staffordshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Stockport | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Suffolk | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Sunderland | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Surrey | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Sutton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Swindon | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Tameside | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Telford and Wrekin | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Thurrock | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Torbay | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Tower Hamlets | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Trafford | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wakefield | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Walsall | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Waltham Forest | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wandsworth | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Warrington | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Warwickshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| West Berkshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| West Northamptonshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| West Sussex | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Westminster | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Westmorland and Furness | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Missing or combined-area measures |
| Wigan | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wiltshire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wirral | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wokingham | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Wolverhampton | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| Worcestershire | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
| York | 2022/23 · 2024/25 · 2026/27 | Core measures available |
Corrections, funding and interests
Send the record identifier, proposed correction and supporting primary source to policy@civillibertiesaction.org.uk. Corrections are assessed against the same evidence rules for all subjects. Responses, reversals and corrected outcomes receive the same factual prominence as initial decisions. Substantive changes require a dated new release and a change-log entry; the old files remain available.
CLA's existing funding and interests statement applies. Its founder has disclosed Labour Party membership. The same inclusion, identity and correction rules apply regardless of political affiliation. Read the declaration.