Council sees red

Adam Hewitt • Published 5 Nov 2009 08:00 0 Comments

See also:

COUNCIL spending in Reading has been reined in and is now forecast to go only £1.5m over-budget, instead of £2m.

The savings, current and predicted, have been made since a Reading borough budget monitoring report on September 28.

The over-spending is mostly thanks to social work and the need to protect vulnerable children and care for the elderly, across the council's education and children's services department (£831,000 over-budget, down from £883,000 in September) and its housing and community care directorate (over-spent by £955,000, up from £902,000 in September).

The environment, culture and sport department has made drastic cuts and efficiency savings, meaning it is now £37,000 under-budget rather than £273,000 over-budget as in September. The council's resources department has been similarly thrifty - it is forecast to be £270,000 under-budget, down from £108,000 under-budget in September.

The council's director of resources Dave Peasley told Cabinet on Monday: "There are still considerable pressures facing us in children's safeguarding and community care. In these demand-led, sensitive areas there are continuing pressures but in other areas we're looking at reductions in expenditure and keeping costs down. We will keep a lid on expenditure where possible."

Council leader Jo Lovelock said: "It's helpful to put savings in place now rather than wait unitl next April. We must work with the trade unions on this."

But opposition Tory leader Andrew Cumpsty said some of the spending hikes could and should have been foreseen in April when this year's budget was set.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle