AN overspend in a council department will be met by reserve balances, councillors have decided.
And Calderdale Council’s leader, Clr Tim Swift, said that the authority will need to find a further £12m in savings over the next two years.
Calderdale cabinet members this week approved plans for the controlled overspend of £591,000 in the Children and Young People’s Services to be met from balances to continue the work.
The overspend was due to the cost of looked after children, the council said.
At the cabinet meeting, leader Clr Swift, said: “This was probably the most challenging year Calderdale has faced with the need to find £50m of savings.
“The budget came within £200,000 of the original figure, which is exceptional.”
Figures show the council spent £184.719m providing services.
It received £184.602m funding from the local Government grant and taxpayers and funded the additional £117,000 from its own balances.
The council is now left with a reserve balance of £8.8m.
Clr Swift added: “Given the uncertainty over the next two or three years, we don’t have any purpose of eating into the reserves.”
The authority has made investments in schools and children’s centres of £25.4m; roads and infrastructure of £5.95m; improving the district’s housing by £3m and spent £1m on environmental projects.
Cabinet members also approved the capital expenditure accounts, which shows a spend of £586,000 – £468,000 which relates to the Piece Hall scheme, a central library feasibility study of £104,000 and £14,000 for the Mixenden Hub.
The actual amount that has been spent on expenditure classed as capital is £38.929m.
It leaves the authority with £12.9m to be carried forward to meet the cost of capital schemes in future years.
