North Somerset Council faces 'unprecedented pressure' to balance the books
They say a multi-million-pound shortfall is predicted by the end of the financial year, despite already tightening their belts
Last updated 4th Jan 2024
North Somerset Council say they 'continue to face unprecedented pressure' to reach the end of the financial year with balanced books.
The increasing cost of care, especially for vulnerable children, is being blamed - with the local authority predicting a £2.3 million shortfall by April.
They're pausing staff recruitment and deferring spending to battle chronic 'underfunding' - despite the Government recently announcing extra cash.
Cllr Mike Bell, Leader of the Council, said: “We have a strong track record of delivering budget savings but are now in the position where our unfunded pressures are restricting our ability to deliver essential council services.
“We are legally required to balance our budget at the end of the year and we are committed to doing that. However, to achieve this in the current challenging circumstances we are now introducing more immediate measures and it’s inevitable that some of these will have an impact on the communities we serve.
“We’re reviewing the savings we’ve identified for next year to see which could be introduced more quickly. We’re also looking at any spending that could be deferred until next year. And if posts become vacant we won’t be filling them straight away, with recruitment of staff pausing for the time being.
“We remain locked into a cycle of historic underfunding that is leaving us further and further behind. Recent news from government of the settlement figure for the year ahead has not helped the situation at all, and I have written to the government and our MPs requesting a meeting with the minister to address our concerns and the impact they will have on local communities.
The measures being introduced will be discussed by councillors at next week’s Full Council meeting on Tuesday 9 January, 6pm at the Town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Papers and a broadcast link for the meeting are available here.
You can find out more about the Government's extra package of cash for local authorities here.
Read more: North Somerset Council faces challenging financial outlook