The councils with the biggest food hygiene inspection backlog
Data as of 24 August 2026.
| Rank | Name | Country | % awaiting inspection | Rated businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | England | 25.23% | 4,577 |
| 2 | Stevenage | England | 22.43% | 691 |
| 3 | Coventry | England | 20.80% | 3,101 |
| 4 | Leeds | England | 20.70% | 7,410 |
| 5 | Camden | England | 19.55% | 4,260 |
| 6 | North East Lincolnshire | England | 19.37% | 1,724 |
| 7 | Luton | England | 19.09% | 1,692 |
| 8 | Pembrokeshire | Wales | 18.54% | 2,281 |
| 9 | Reigate and Banstead | England | 18.27% | 1,100 |
| 10 | Oadby and Wigston | England | 18.18% | 407 |
| 11 | Manchester | England | 18.08% | 6,422 |
| 12 | Windsor and Maidenhead | England | 17.57% | 1,628 |
| 13 | Hounslow | England | 16.82% | 2,337 |
| 14 | Epsom and Ewell | England | 16.37% | 568 |
| 15 | Barking and Dagenham | England | 15.90% | 1,459 |
| 16 | Lewisham | England | 15.67% | 2,482 |
| 17 | West Northamptonshire | England | 15.57% | 4,058 |
| 18 | Harrow | England | 15.19% | 1,903 |
| 19 | Dudley | England | 14.74% | 2,673 |
| 20 | North West Leicestershire | England | 14.08% | 959 |
| 21 | Redbridge | England | 13.99% | 2,158 |
| 22 | Rochdale | England | 13.95% | 1,900 |
| 23 | Merton | England | 13.79% | 1,566 |
| 24 | Bristol | England | 13.50% | 4,489 |
| 25 | Carmarthenshire | Wales | 13.37% | 2,177 |
| 26 | Uttlesford | England | 13.36% | 801 |
| 27 | Walsall | England | 13.21% | 2,187 |
| 28 | Barnet | England | 13.05% | 2,859 |
| 29 | Hackney | England | 12.87% | 2,448 |
| 30 | Birmingham | England | 12.82% | 10,123 |
| 31 | Southampton | England | 12.32% | 1,712 |
| 32 | Knowsley | England | 12.21% | 819 |
| 33 | Swansea | Wales | 12.20% | 2,442 |
| 34 | West Berkshire | England | 11.93% | 1,274 |
| 35 | Wandsworth | England | 11.81% | 2,897 |
| 36 | Blackburn | England | 11.51% | 1,312 |
| 37 | Norwich City | England | 11.35% | 1,568 |
| 38 | Ealing | England | 11.33% | 3,733 |
| 39 | South Derbyshire | England | 11.30% | 885 |
| 40 | Sandwell | England | 11.28% | 2,712 |
| 41 | Gateshead | England | 11.24% | 1,646 |
| 42 | Hull City | England | 11.19% | 2,287 |
| 43 | Ribble Valley | England | 11.06% | 651 |
| 44 | Watford | England | 10.97% | 1,021 |
| 45 | Arun | England | 10.96% | 1,350 |
| 46 | Sunderland | England | 10.94% | 2,322 |
| 47 | Cardiff | Wales | 10.92% | 3,480 |
| 48 | East Hertfordshire | England | 10.85% | 1,401 |
| 49 | Stockport | England | 10.78% | 2,736 |
| 50 | Enfield | England | 10.74% | 2,393 |
| 51 | Wakefield | England | 10.70% | 3,064 |
| 52 | East Staffordshire | England | 10.63% | 1,204 |
| 53 | Horsham | England | 10.51% | 1,332 |
| 54 | Three Rivers | England | 10.45% | 651 |
| 55 | Portsmouth | England | 10.39% | 1,800 |
| 56 | Cheshire East | England | 10.18% | 3,104 |
| 57 | West Suffolk | England | 10.14% | 1,657 |
| 58 | Broxbourne | England | 10.14% | 868 |
| 59 | Bury | England | 10.03% | 1,226 |
| 60 | Croydon | England | 10.01% | 3,158 |
| 61 | Denbighshire | Wales | 9.95% | 1,156 |
| 62 | Stoke-On-Trent | England | 9.92% | 2,238 |
| 63 | Forest of Dean | England | 9.79% | 807 |
| 64 | Broxtowe | England | 9.68% | 816 |
| 65 | Cambridge City | England | 9.62% | 1,487 |
| 66 | Swindon | England | 9.60% | 1,656 |
| 67 | Newport | Wales | 9.54% | 1,362 |
| 68 | Barnsley | England | 9.53% | 1,889 |
| 69 | Worcester City | England | 9.52% | 830 |
| 70 | Greenwich | England | 9.45% | 2,391 |
| 71 | Wyre Forest | England | 9.44% | 752 |
| 72 | Richmond-Upon-Thames | England | 9.38% | 1,578 |
| 73 | Buckinghamshire | England | 9.36% | 4,585 |
| 74 | Slough | England | 9.34% | 1,017 |
| 75 | Colchester | England | 9.33% | 1,640 |
| 76 | South Ribble | England | 9.13% | 832 |
| 77 | Teignbridge | England | 9.09% | 1,320 |
| 78 | South Hams | England | 9.09% | 1,100 |
| 79 | York | England | 8.91% | 2,165 |
| 80 | Malvern Hills | England | 8.91% | 718 |
| 81 | Wiltshire | England | 8.90% | 4,215 |
| 82 | Rochford | England | 8.86% | 666 |
| 83 | Mid Suffolk | England | 8.86% | 858 |
| 84 | Surrey Heath | England | 8.72% | 688 |
| 85 | Dartford | England | 8.69% | 1,082 |
| 86 | Brent | England | 8.58% | 2,493 |
| 87 | Vale of Glamorgan | Wales | 8.55% | 1,321 |
| 88 | Bedford | England | 8.46% | 1,654 |
| 89 | Thurrock | England | 8.40% | 1,310 |
| 90 | Bolton | England | 8.37% | 2,414 |
| 91 | Derby City | England | 8.32% | 2,284 |
| 92 | Havant | England | 8.29% | 1,062 |
| 93 | Bradford | England | 8.26% | 4,659 |
| 94 | Hammersmith and Fulham | England | 8.23% | 2,016 |
| 95 | Wigan | England | 8.21% | 2,582 |
| 96 | East Devon | England | 8.14% | 1,548 |
| 97 | Tendring | England | 8.14% | 1,302 |
| 98 | Folkestone and Hythe | England | 8.06% | 1,302 |
| 99 | Epping Forest | England | 8.06% | 1,042 |
| 100 | Amber Valley | England | 7.98% | 1,078 |
Ranked among councils with at least 200 rated businesses. Top 100 shown. Council figures are computed by this site, not published Food Standards Agency statistics.
Source: Food Standards Agency food hygiene ratings data, 24 August 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.