7 days ago
Blackburn with Darwen Council facing possible budget gap of £7.8m
A Lancashire council faces a potential budgeting shortfall of £7.8m by the end of the financial year based on spending figures for the three months to the end of June, it has emerged.A report will be given to Blackburn with Darwen Council this week by councillor Vicky McGurk, who is in charge of finance at the will be asked to develop plans to balance the comes after the council recorded a £4.4m surplus on its budget for the 2024/25 financial year.
Ms McGurk's report reveals the biggest predicted overspend is for children, young people and education, totalling £ is despite the forecast outturn for the Schools and Education Dedicated Schools Grant portfolio breaking even, the Local Democracy Reporting Service predicted overspends include:Adult social care and health: £106,000Housing and public health: £95,000Environment and operations: £198,000Growth and development: £1.648mFinance and governance: £247,000Digital and customer services: £280,000Other corporate income and expenditure budgets: £1.853mDocuments prepared in the report said: "The council's medium term financial plan showed a funding gap of £18.8m by 2028/29, with the most immediate issue being a gap of £11.1m in 2026/27."Should there be no further mitigation during the remainder of the financial year, the council would need to draw an additional £7.783m from its reserves and balances to achieve a balanced budget."
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