TOWN Hall chiefs are set to be briefed on the council’s financial position – with the latest update forecasting an overspend topping £28 million.

A budget monitoring report for quarter two of 2024-25 will come before the cabinet at its meeting next Monday.

It will provide members with a forecast financial position for the year ending March 2025 and ‘progress against the savings targets’ of £15.9m included within the current year budget.

It says: “In February 2024 the council approved a budget for 2024-25 of £194.292m which included savings targets of £15.9m.

“The 2024-25 budget was set against a background of low Government funding and increasing social care demand. Included within the 2024-25 budget were funding pressures of £23.9m.

“This was to cover increasing demand, legislative changes, and a continued reduction in funding.

“At the end of quarter two, the forecast outturn for 2024-25 is an overspend of £28.100m.

“The forecast for the same period last year, 2023-24, was an overspend of £16.7m.

“It should be noted that this overspend is after the use of additional reserves of £5.385m agreed by the Section 151 officer in Q1 to meet a one-off budget overspend on special educational needs transport and expected business plan temporary forecast shortfalls in property commercial income.

“This is due to planned refurbishment work and new tenants/leases.

“The council’s overspend position is also reflective of the national position of overspends in adult social care, children social care, special educational needs and homelessness, caused by continuing underfunding and increasing demand and inflationary pressures.

“With regard to the forecast overspend of £28.100m presented in this report, the council faces a significant financial challenge. Urgent action is required to address these overspends in 2024-25. Priority review areas are adults & children’s social care.

“The council is clearly facing a difficult budgetary position with an overspend of this magnitude.”

The cabinet is recommended to note the forecast outturn as at quarter two of a £28.1 million overspend, note the progress on delivery of savings targets as at quarter two, agree the further actions proposed to address the current financial challenge, and note that all directors are required to reduce their expenditure during the remainder of the financial year to ‘significantly reduce’ the current forecast overspend.