South Holland District Council’s deputy leader Nick Worth has stated the authority is in a “strong” position, but concerns have been raised about the future.
The district council’s cabinet backed its budget and Mid Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) at its meeting on Tuesday, February 13.
As reported in The Voice last week, the council faces a budget gap of around £500,00 for the next three financial years and is behind on its savings targets as it looks to make savings of £1.05m by April 2020.
Part of the deficit and uncertainty is due to the withdrawal of central government funding which the council estimates will leave it around £700,000 a year.
There’s uncertainty of how much of the business rates it collects locally it will be allowed to keep. In a pilot scheme for this financial year it was able to keep 100 per cent of the rates.
A scrutiny panel set up to oversee the budget has also expressed concerns over staffing resources.
In its outline of points for the cabinet to consider, the panel said it had “concern that in order to deliver an effective and proactive programme of change and transformation staffing resources need to be planned and budgeted for at adequate levels.”
The scrutiny panel has supported a bid for the council to make more money itself rather than look to make further cuts of its existing staff and services.
It asks that council members be provided more information on a Delivery Plan for Commercialisation that’s being put together to look at proposals and options for investments in assets.
Chief executive Anna Graves said: “I think we should bring back some strong commercial ideas going forward.”
Deputy leader of the council Nick Worth, told the cabinet: “I think we are in a quite strong financial position and it is thanks to the finance department for putting us in that position.
“Clearly we are going to be going through quite a difficult time during the next few years particularly down to the uncertainty of things like business rates and they’re talking about us going down to keeping 75 per cent of the rates.
“We don’t know whether the business rates pilot will be extended to next year.”
